Computational model of whole blood exhibiting lateral platelet motion induced by red blood cells

An Immersed Boundary method is developed in which the fluid's motion is calculated using the lattice Boltzmann method. The method is applied to explore the experimentally observed lateral redistribution of platelets and platelet-sized particles in concentrated suspensions of red blood cells undergoing channel flow. Simulations capture red-blood-cell-induced lateral platelet motion and the consequent development of a platelet concentration profile that includes an enhanced concentration within a few microns of the channel walls. In the simulations, the near-wall-enhanced concentration develops within approximately 400 ms starting from a random distribution of red blood cells and a uniform distribution of platelet-sized particles. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.