Blood viscosity

Patent Pending Blood viscosity is determined by plasma viscosity, hematocrit (volume fraction of red blood cell, which constitute 99.9% of the cellular elements) and mechanical properties of red blood cells. Red blood cells have unique mechanical behavior, which can be discussed under the terms erythrocyte deformability and erythrocyte aggregation.[2] Because of that, blood behaves as a non-Newtonian fluid. As such, the viscosity of blood varies with shear rate. Blood becomes less viscous at high shear rates like those experienced in peak-systole. Contrarily, during end-diastole, blood moves more slowly and becomes thicker and stickier. Therefore, blood is a shear-thinning fluid.