title: Separation of red blood cells at high volume concentration under low centrifugal accelerations.
abstract: The separation process of blood and RBC suspensions in a hematocrit range between 0.3-0.7 was investigated with a centrifuge allowed to run at low accelerations (100 xg-1000 xg). The position of the interface between the supernatant of plasma and the RBC column was continuously recorded by a new optoelectronic measuring system. The separation process could be mathematically described by an exponential decrease of the cell column approaching a final packing. At a given centrifugal acceleration the time constant is influenced by hematocrit, aggregation, deformation and plasma viscosity. The final packing depends linearly on the starting hematocrit (0.3-0.7) and can be used as a measure of deformability.
authors.affiliation: Humboldt-Universität, Abt. Haemorheologie und Haemodynamik, Berlin, German Democratic Republic.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lerche
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bilsing
mesh_terms: D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D002469:Cell Separation; D002498:Centrifugation; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D006400:Hematocrit; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D014783:Viscosity