A Novel Blood Coagulation Measuring Method Based on the Viscoelasticity of Non-Newtonian Fluid

Abstract

There are complex and perfect coagulation, anticoagulation and fibrinolysis systems in the human body and their fine regulatory mechanisms. Once the coagulation system and its regulatory mechanisms are destroyed, bleeding or thrombosis will occur very soon. In the blood coagulation, the blood viscoelasticity changes. Therefore, the thrombus elasticity measurement technology can be used to continuously monitor the changing blood viscoelasticity in order to study the process of coagulation. The results of the interaction among the various components of the blood can be obtained from coagulation to fibrinolysis by bedside detection. The traditional electromagnetic induction sensors, based on conventional coil inductance, are manufactured complexly, high cost and non-linear. Therefore, this paper proposes a non-Newtonian fluid viscoelasticity measurement method based on the piezoelectric effect. We use the piezoelectric bimorphs with the diameter of 21 mm and the total thickness of 0.38 mm and DSM coupling probes with the length of 3 mm, 5 mm and 7 mm to design the piezoelectric bimorphs driver. The viscoelasticity of different non-Newtonian fluids is tested. The vibration amplitudes of the piezoelectric bimorphs and liquid surfaces range from 0.43 μm to 3.52 μm. Consequently, the feasibility of in vitro detection of thrombus is confirmed in principle and the above scheme is validated theoretically and experimentally, which provides the basis for the measurement of blood viscoelasticity, the in vitro detection of thrombus and the manufacture of blood coagulation instrument.