Effects of blood storage on rheology and damage in low-stress shear flow

Abstract

Data are presented on the rheological and hemolytic behavior of whole human blood as it ages while stored at 4°C (as in blood banking practice) up to 26 days. The viscometric properties of steady shear viscosity η and oscillatory (complex) viscosity ${\mathit{\eta }}^{\ast }={\mathit{\eta }}^{\prime }-\mathrm{i}{\mathit{\eta }}^{″}$ reported over ranges of shear rate $\dot{\mathit{\gamma }}$ and radian frequency ω of $33\mathrm{<}\dot{\mathit{\gamma }}\mathrm{<}4130$ s⁻¹ and $1.5\mathrm{<}\mathit{\omega }\mathrm{<}48$ s⁻¹; data on autologous plasma are given for reference. The Cox-Merz relation, $\mathit{\eta }\mathrm{(}\dot{\mathit{\gamma }}\mathrm{)}=|{\mathit{\eta }}^{\ast }\mathrm{(}\mathit{\omega }\mathrm{)}{|}_{\mathit{\omega }=\dot{\mathit{\gamma }}}$ , is found to be a good approximation, with $\mathit{\eta }⩾|{\mathit{\eta }}^{\ast }|$ , over the range studied. Release of hemoglobin (Hgb) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) into the plasma during shearing is tracked as a function of time for 30 min, and its sensitivity to $\dot{\mathit{\gamma }}$ magnitude is measured. Bloods from four different donors are studied, with primary attention given to one (SSR). For all bloods, the release of both Hgb and LDH increases with storage age, but differences in such aging characteristics between different bloods can be substantial (even when rheological properties are identical). A post-shear incubation at 4°C for one day shows no enhancement of plasma Hgb and LDH levels beyond those expected from normal aging after the shearing experience, demonstrating the absence of significant delayed-action effects as a consequence of shearing trauma.