Effect of high osmotic media on blood viscosity and red blood cell deformability

Issue title: Memorial Issue in Honor of Bun’ichi Tamamushi

Guest editors: Syoten Oka and Eiichi Fukada

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Yamamoto, Akemi | Niimi, Hideyuki

Affiliations: Hemorheology Laboratory, National Cardiovascular Center, Research Institute, Osaka, Japan

Note: [] Accepted by: Editor E. Fukada

Abstract: Effects of high osmotic media on the shape and deformability of RBC were examined for determining increasing factors of blood viscosity. Dog blood and Urographin (a hypertonic contrast medium) were used; the plasma osmolality was changed by urografin suspended in blood. The viscosity was measured for normal RBC and glutaraldehyde-treated RBC suspensions with a cell volume concentration. The RBC deformability was evaluated from the difference in viscosity between the two suspensions. It was shown that normal RBC suspension increased the viscosity with increase in osmolality at high shear rate; hardened RBC suspension decreased the viscosity with increase in osmolality. It was concluded that the RBC deformability decreased with increasing osmolality.

Keywords: Blood viscosity, High osmotic media, RBC deformability, RBC shape

DOI: 10.3233/BIR-1983-20518

Journal: Biorheology, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 615-622, 1983