Red blood cell (RBC) aggregation is becoming an important hemorheological parameter, which typically exhibits temperature dependence. Quite recently, a critical shear-stress was proposed as a new dimensional index to represent the aggregative and disaggregative behaviors of RBCs. The present study investigated the effect of the temperature on the critical shear-stress that is required to keep RBC aggregates dispersed. The critical shear-stress was measured at various temperatures (4, 10, 20, 30, and 37°C) through the use of a transient microfluidic aggregometry. The critical shear-stress significantly increased as the blood temperature lowered, which accorded with the increase in the low-shear blood viscosity with the lowering of the temperature. Furthermore, the critical shear-stress also showed good agreement with the threshold shear-stress, as measured in a rotational Couette flow. These findings assist in rheologically validating the critical shear-stress, as defined in the microfluidic aggregometry.

1.
S. M.
Razavian
,
M.
Del Pino
,
A.
Simon
, and
J.
Levenson
,
Hypertension
20
,
247
(
1992
).
2.
M. R.
Hardeman
,
J. G.
Dobbe
, and
C.
Ince
,
Clin. Hemorheol. Microcirc.
25
,
1
(
2001
).
3.
S.
Shin
,
J. X.
Hou
, and
J. S.
Suh
,
Korea-Aust. Rheol. J.
20
,
253
(
2008
).
4.
F. J.
Neumann
,
H.
Schmid-Schonbein
, and
H.
Ohlenbusch
,
Pfluegers Arch. Eur. J. Physiol.
408
,
524
(
1987
).
5.
B. K.
Lee
,
T.
Alexy
,
R. B.
Wenby
, and
H. J.
Meiselman
,
Biorheology
44
,
29
(
2007
).
6.
S.
Shin
,
J. X.
Hou
, and
J. S.
Suh
,
Clin. Hemorheol. Microcirc.
42
,
117
(
2009
).
7.
P.
Snabre
,
M.
Bitbol
, and
P.
Mills
,
Biophys. J.
51
,
795
(
1987
).
8.
S.
Chien
,
L. A.
Sung
,
S.
Kim
, and
A. M.
Burke
,
Microvasc. Res.
13
,
327
(
1977
).
9.
H.
Schmid-Schonbein
,
G.
Gallasch
,
E.
Volger
, and
H. J.
Klose
,
Biorheology
10
,
213
(
1973
).
You do not currently have access to this content.