Abstract
The features of the dynamics of capillary blood flow are analyzed and compared with those of the large blood vessels. The physical causes of the constantly varying unsteady flow are attributed to the random statistical distribution of red blood cell sizes, blood vessel geometry, and the multiloop system. The influence of the capillary system topology and compliance are discussed. Among other things, it is shown theoretically that (1), at a branching point of a capillary blood vessel the branch with a faster stream gets most of the red blood cells, thus explaining the extreme nonuniformity in hematocrit distribution in the capillaries, and (2), in a contracting muscle bundle in which capillaries are parallel to the muscle fibers, the percentage reduction of resistance to blood flow is three times the percentage reduction in length of the muscle bundle if active control by sphincter is absent.
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