Role of the non-Newtonian behavior of blood in hemodynamics

¹ Department of Biophysics, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada

The role of the non-Newtonian behavior of blood in perfused vascular beds has been assessed by measuring the pressure-flow curves of erythrocyte suspensions with hematocrits from 9 to 85%, in glass tubes of radii from 50 to 800 µ. The curves become linear as the flow increases, and for each tube, point back to a ‘nodal point’ on the negative flow axis which is independent of hematocrit. From this data, curves of the rate of shear versus shearing stress at the wall (consistency curves) were obtained which are all linear at stresses greater than 20 dynes/cm. The wall shearing stress in all categories of blood vessels is greater than this, especially in the arterioles where it is 200 dynes/cm. It is concluded that in perfused vascular beds the flow properties of blood are essentially linear in the physiological working range so that the distensibility of the vessels is the all important factor in determining the shape of the pressure-flow curves.

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