Work

A Microfluidic Method for Simultaneous Assessment of Blood Viscosity and Red Blood Cell Aggregation During Continuous Syringe Delivery

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Accurate assessment of blood viscosity and red blood cell (RBC) aggregation under continuous flow is important for hemorheological analysis. However, simultaneous measurement remains challenging because both properties are influenced by flow conditions and RBC sedimentation. In this study, a microfluidic method is developed for the simultaneous measurement of blood viscosity and RBC aggregation index (AI) during continuous blood delivery from a driving syringe. The proposed device consists of a viscosity-sensing channel for viscosity measurement and aggregation-sensing channel for AI evaluation. The effects of flow rate, hematocrit, suspension medium, and syringe on-off operation are systematically investigated. Blood viscosity and AI are strongly affected by these factors, and transient flow interruption enhances RBC sedimentation in the syringe, thereby altering hemorheological properties. The proposed method is further used to evaluate thermally exposed RBCs, which reduce RBC aggregation and suppress RBC sedimentation when compared with control blood. At higher exposure temperatures and longer exposure times, blood viscosity and AI remain nearly constant over time, indicating minimal contribution of damaged RBCs to RBC sedimentation. These results demonstrate that the proposed method enables reliable simultaneous evaluation of blood viscosity and RBC aggregation and could be regarded as useful for detecting functional alterations of RBCs under continuous-flow conditions.

Source: Sensors

DOI: 10.3390/s26092845

Author: Yang Jun Kang

Institution: Chosun University

Language: English

Topic: Blood properties and coagulation

Subfield: Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137