An erratum was issue for Controlled Microfluidic Environment for Dynamic Investigation of Red Blood Cell Aggregation. The introduction section was updated.
The introduction was updated from:
Few studies have attempted to study RBC aggregation and determine the degree of aggregation in controlled flow conditions15-17. However, these studies indirectly investigate RBC aggregate sizes by determining the ratio of the occupied space in a shearing system measured based on microscopic blood images providing information on the degree of aggregation as well as the local viscosity.
We therefore present a new procedure to directly quantify RBC aggregates in microcirculation, dynamically, under controlled and constant shear rates. RBC-suspensions are entrained, in a double Y-microchannel (as illustrated in Figure 1), with a Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS) solution hence creating a shear flow in the blood layer. Within this blood layer a constant shear rate can be obtained. The RBC-suspensions are tested at different hematocrit (H) levels (5%, 10% and 15%) and under different shear rates (2-11 sec-1). The blood velocity and shear rate are determined using a micro Particle Image Velocimetry (µPIV) system while the flow is visualized using a high speed camera. The results obtained are then processed with a MATLAB code based on the image intensities in order to detect the RBCs and determine aggregate sizes.
to:
Few studies have attempted to study RBC aggregation and determine the degree of aggregation in controlled flow conditions15-17. However, these studies indirectly investigate RBC aggregate sizes by determining the ratio of the occupied space in a shearing system measured based on microscopic blood images providing information on the degree of aggregation as well as the local viscosity. Chen et al.18 presented a direct measurement technique for RBC aggregate sizes and provided RBC aggregate size distribution for different shear stresses by varying the flowrate of the suspensions while monitoring the pressure drop across a flow chamber. The shear stresses are calculated based on the monitored pressure using Stokes equation18.
We therefore present a new procedure to directly quantify RBC aggregates in a controlled microfluidic environment, dynamically, under specific, constant and measurable shear rates. The blood flow in the shear system is directly observed (perpendicularly to the flow direction), providing a different angle on flow investigation compared to previous studies15,18 and a visualization of the full domain of interest. RBC-suspensions are entrained, in a double Y-microchannel (as illustrated in Figure 1), with a Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS) solution hence creating a shear flow in the blood layer. Within this blood layer a constant shear rate can be obtained. The RBC-suspensions are tested at different hematocrit (H) levels (5%, 10% and 15%) and under different shear rates (2-11 sec-1). The blood velocity and shear rate are determined using a micro Particle Image Velocimetry (µPIV) system while the flow is visualized using a high speed camera. The results obtained are then processed with a MATLAB code based on the image intensities in order to detect the RBCs and determine aggregate sizes.
Reference 18 was updated to:
18. Chen, S., Barshtein, G., Gavish, B., Mahler, Y., Yedgar, S. Monitoring of red blood
cell aggregability in a flow chamber by computerized image analysis. Clin. Hemorhol.
Microcirc. 14, (4), 497-508 (1994).
All subsequent citations were also updated.