EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL STUDIES ON HEMODYNAMICS AND GAS TRANSPORT IN THE MICROCIRCULATION

Abstract

Microcirculation marks the cardinal site for the exchange of gases and nutrients vital for cell survival. At this scale, individual cellular hemodynamics become dominant in influencing hemorheology and the corresponding gas transport in the microcirculation. The formation of cell-free layer (CFL) results from the axial migration of red blood cells towards the center of blood flow. While this plays an important role in modulating blood flow resistance, it is also capable of modulating wall shear stress acting on endothelial cells. This in turn leads to a cascade of vasoregulatory mechanism that involves the synthesis and diffusion of nitric oxide (NO). As such, this thesis aims to elucidate the influence of CFL variations on the diffusion of NO and oxygen in the microcirculation through experimental and computational works. This relation was evaluated in a single arteriole, followed by extension to post-bifurcation studies, and finally validation in the microvascular networks.