Influence of the Blood Flow Through the Capillary on the Main Parameters of Erythrocytes

Abstract

The trends in personalized medicine lead to the necessity of determining the normal range of biological parameters for each individual. This task requires high precision in the obtained parameters and frequent measurements. To ensure high accuracy in determining the morphological and functional parameters of blood cells, the method of scanning flow cytometry (SFC) has proven to be effective. Within this study, a needle-free venipuncture system is being developed to provide more comfortable conditions for blood collection during frequent monitoring of one's parameters. However, although such a system allows for much smaller skin punctures than a needle, the question arises as to whether these small openings can affect the blood cell parameters measured by SFC. This study identified the first potential factor influencing blood cell parameters - shear stress. The behavior of erythrocyte parameters was investigated as needles of different diameters passed through them. COMSOL modeling was conducted to analyze the distribution of forces acting on the surface of an ellipsoid (as a model for platelets and erythrocytes) in two scenarios: free cell movement in a capillary and for a cell attached to a substrate.