Quantification of Blood Hemolysis due to Mechanical Shearing

P. Hryniewicz, J. P. Willis, S. Jahanmir, and H. Heshmat, “Quantification of Blood Hemolysis due to Mechanical Shearing,” ASAIO Journal, 49 (2003) 217.

The available models for mechanical hemolysis generally agree that the amount of blood damage depends on both the magnitude of shear stress and the time of exposure to shear. However, there exists little evidence of how the models can be utilized to quantitatively predict the severity of blood damage caused by exposure to shear stress. In present paper we discuss the existing hemolysis models, and propose a novel methodology, which combines the existing models with the principles of fluid dynamics for quantitative prediction of the rate of blood damage. The general methodology is illustrated with an example of blood flow through a fluid film bearing used in a left ventricular assist device (LVAD).