EVALUATION OF A TRANSPARENT BLOOD ANALOG FLUID - AQUEOUS XANTHAN GUM GLYCERIN

Aqueous solutions of Xanthan gum and glycerin were developed that matc h both the viscous and elastic components of the 2 Hz complex viscosit y of blood over a broad range of shear rates (1-1000 s-1) and hematocr its (20%-80%). Measurements of wall shear rate in pulsatile flow were conducted.in straight and atherogenic curved artery models using both the blood analog fluid and blood to compare their flow behavior. Peak wall shear rates determined in these models under nearly identical flo w conditions with the two fluids were not statistically different (p > 0.05). These results indicate that aqueous Xanthan gum/glycerin solut ions provide a good blood analog fluid for flow conditions characteris tic of large arteries. Because the fluid is transparent and made from readily available and fairly inexpensive materials, it may be generall y useful for in vitro hemodynamic studies, particularly those employin g optical techniques.