In vitro evaluation of red blood cell flow in bifurcating microchannel

To investigate the partitioning properties of the red blood cells (RBCs) in bifurcating capillary vessels, bifurcating microchannels with different daughter channel widths of several μm were prepared, and in vitro experiments were performed using a suspension of human RBC. In particular, it was observed that the RBC distribution changed and was biased toward the inner wall as the RBCs passed through the bifurcation. The effect of different daughter channel widths on the RBC partitioning was also investigated. As the channel width narrowed, the flow rate changed and a phase separation occurred. In addition, the experimental results deviated from the empirical model, indicating that the interaction between different RBCs in the bifurcation may also affect the RBC partitioning. The obtained findings could therefore contribute to a better understanding of the RBC partitioning properties in the microcirculatory system.