Investigation of Formation and Ultrasonic Disassembling of Red Blood Cell Aggregation Aimed for Maintenance of Blood Channel

Abstract

Establishment of real-time monitoring technique for blood viscosity during extracorporeal circulation treatment is needed. We have demonstrated that red blood cell (RBC, hereafter) aggregation degree, which highly correlates with the blood viscosity, can be estimated by the ultrasound spectroscopic observation of the RBC and the defining of the peak frequency by the Fast Fourier Transform process. In this study, the peak frequency was measured to investigate the aggregation degree of RBC flowing in a simple heart-lung machine. In addition, to disassemble the RBC aggregations that might cause the clogging of the circuit, a disassemble technique of the RBC aggregations using a focused 5 MHz ultrasonic transducer was also proposed. As the first step of this study, the disassembling of the RBC aggregations was carried out under the still condition and its effect was confirmed by the peak frequency method.