Medical | Viscosity Measurement of Whole Blood
Increased blood viscosity is correlated with risk factors for cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure or diabetes mellitus. Lovis allows for measuring blood viscosity, featuring low sample volumes and a built-in software compliant to GMP and 21 CFR part 11.
The viscosity of blood is a direct measure of the ability of blood to flow through arteries and veins. It determines how hard the heart has to work to pump the blood through the body and how much oxygen is delivered to organs and tissue. Blood viscosity is correlated with several known risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.
While serum or plasma viscosity measurements play an important role in the clinical management of patients prone to hyper-viscosity syndrome, these tests do not account for hematocrit, blood cell deformability or factors increasing RBC (red blood cell) aggregation.
Whole blood is a non-Newtonian liquid. The blood viscosity rises and falls from one extreme to the other with every cardiac cycle. Therefore, a meaningful blood viscosity test requires more than one measurement.
Lovis measures the rolling time of a ball inside an inclined capillary. The integrated software automatically calculates kinematic and dynamic viscosity (provided the sample density is known). For simultaneous density measurement, combination of a Lovis module with a DMA density meter is recommended.
Variable inclination angles allow for measurements at different shear rates. Temperature control via Peltier elements is fast and accurate.
Capillaries with only 100 μL filling volume suit the limited sample quantity.
Get the document
To receive this document please enter your email below.
