OPTICAL AND RHEOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF BLOOD AND THEIR APPLICATION TO CARDIOVASCULAR-DISEASES

As haemorheological factors such as erythrocyte deformability and bloo d viscosity ace important in maintaining normal blood circulation, the se parameters were measured by Hemorheometer and Cone-plate Microvisco meter respectively. He-Ne laser light and photodiode detector assembly was used to study the optical characteristics of blood samples from n ormal individuals and patients with various diseases. Both rheological and optical parameters were found to vary depending on the status of the blood samples. An increasing trend in these parameters, except opt ical transmission which decreased in disease status, was observed. The attenuation coefficient, derived from optical data, showed an increas ing trend in disease status as compared to normal blood. Attenuation c oefficient shows a high correlation with both erythrocyte deformabilit y and blood viscosity. These observation suggests that the variation o f optical parameter can provide overall information on the status of b lood in health and diseases.