Abstract
The mechanical damage of red blood cells was investigated using osmotic swelling. The swollen red cell ejected hemoglobin solution through the micro pore opened on the membrane. The hemoglobin jet into the suspending fluid was visualized using polystyrene microspheres. The time for the hemoglobin ejection was found to be about 20 s. Assuming the diameter of the micropore to be 1μm, the pressure inside the red cell was estimated. This inner pressure and the macroscopic elastic model for the red cel membrane enabled the computer simulation for the red cell swelling from normal cell shape.
