A Review of Hemorheology: Measuring Techniques and Recent Advances

Abstract

Significant progress has been made over the years on the topic of hemorheology, not only in terms of thedevelopment of more accurate and sophisticated techniques, but also in terms of understanding the phenomena associated with blood components, their interactions and impact upon blood properties. The rheological properties of blood are strongly dependent on the interactions and mechanical properties of redblood cells, and a variation of these properties can bring further insight into the human health state and canbe an important parameter in clinical diagnosis. In this article, we provide both a reference for hemorheological research and a resource regarding the fundamental concepts in hemorheology. This review is aimedat those starting in the field of hemodynamics, where blood rheology plays a significant role, but also atthose in search of the most up-to-date findings (both qualitative and quantitative) in hemorheological measurements and novel techniques used in this context, including technical advances under more extreme conditions such as in large amplitude oscillatory shear flow or under extensional flow, which impose largedeformations comparable to those found in the microcirculatory system and in diseased vessels. Given theimpressive rate of increase in the available knowledge on blood flow, this review is also intended to identifyareas where current knowledge is still incomplete, and which have the potential for new, exciting and usefulresearch. We also discuss the most important parameters that can lead to an alteration of blood rheology,and which as a consequence can have a significant impact on the normal physiological behavior of blood