Effect of Fibrin Polymerization on Flow Properties of Coagulating Blood

Abstract

The evolution of stress in coagulating blood is described by a Maxwell-like constitutive model. The evolution is essentially affected by conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin monomer, fibrin polymerization and its crosslinking. The modifying effects of the process result from the active constituents of blood plasma, blood cell concentration and intensity of flow. The interrelation of stress evolution and the kinetics of polymerization determines these effects in terms of the order of the kinetics of polymerization and degree of fibrin polymerization and values of the constitutive coefficients. The results are presented for normal blood, the average of the effect of blood constituents and blood platelets on coagulation.