Abstract
A macromodel (magnification 500x) was used to study the order of magnitude of the influence of wall-adhering white cells on the flow resistance in the microcirculation. Rigid spheres (diam. 4 mm), simulating white cells, were placed at different geometric combinations at the mid-section of a straight plexiglass tube (diam. 10 mm), which was perfused with fuel oil, 518 cP. Two vertical pipes on either side of the tube segment containing the spheres were used to record the pressure drop along the tube.Ten spheres in single file (7.5 em between the end spheres) increased the resistance by 70%, two rows (20 sph) by 130%,three rows (30 sph) by 180%, 20 spheres in 5 adjacent rings by 215% and four rows (40 sph ) by 430%. Translated to the microcirculation,these results indicate that wall-adhering white cells may significantly influence local blood flow and filtration equilibrium in inflammation and low flow states.
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