Biophysics

Lecture 4
Hemodynamics and Factors Affecting
Blood Flow
By
Mohamed Ahmed Saleh, Ph.D.
11/1/2012
Faculty of Pharmacy
Clinical Pharmacy Program
Blood Flow:
Blood flow: Amount of blood that flows through any tissue
in a given period of time (mL/min)
Total blood flow: Volume of blood that circulates through
the systemic and pulmonary blood vessels each minute
Cardiac Output (CO)
Cardiac output (CO) = heart rate (HR) x stroke volume
(SV)
SV = the volume of blood pumped with each beat
Distribution of CO into different body tissues:
1. Pressure difference of different parts of the body
Pressure Blood Flow
2. Resistance of specific blood vessels to blood flow
Resistance Blood Flow
Blood flow or F = Blood flow means
simply the quantity of blood that passes a
given point in the circulation in a given
period of time (mL/Sec).




Movie 1
1. Blood Pressure (BP):
Blood flow: Pressure Pressure
BP: Contraction of the ventricles hydrostatic pressure
exerted by blood on the walls of a blood vessel.
Normal BP in a young adult at rest:
120 mmHg during ventricular contraction, systole
80 mmHg during ventricular relaxation, diastole
Systemic Circulation:

Blood Pressure (cont.):
Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP): The average blood
pressure in arteries closer to diastolic pressure during the
greater portion of the cardiac cycle
MAP = diastolic BP + 1/3(systolic BP diastolic BP)
(80 + 1/3(120 80)) = 93 mmHg
CO = HR x SV
CO = MAP/R where R is the vascular resistance
MAP = CO x R
SV or HR CO
and if R stays constant MAP
2. Vascular Resistance:
Friction between blood and the walls of blood
vessels: resists to blood flow
Vascular resistance depends on three factors:
(1) Size/Diameter of the blood vessels
(2) Blood viscosity
(3) Total blood vessels length

Size/Diameter of the blood vessel
Small changes in diameter result in big changes in flow

Large arteries have little resistance while small arterioles have a
large resistance.
During exercise, muscular blood flow markedly increases as a
result of metabolic arteriolar vasodilatation (= decrease in the
peripheral resistance ).

Viscosity:
Greater viscosity = greater resistance

Vessel Length:
Poiseuilles Law
(relates pressure, flow and resistance)
The (R) is directly proportionate to the length of the vessel
and the blood viscosity. while inversely proportionate to the
4
th
power of the radius of the vessel.
2.1. Size/Diameter of Blood Vessels:
Size of the lumen of a blood vessel Resistance to
blood flow
forth power law: the resistance increases in proportion to
the inverse of the forth power of the radius:

Vasoconstriction: Narrowing of the vessels resulting from
contraction of the muscular wall of the vessels
Vasodilation: Widening of the vessels resulting from
relaxation of the muscular wall of the vessels
constant fluctuations Resistance BP
4
1
r
R
Movie 2
2.2. Blood Viscosity:
Blood:
Plasma: 0.015 Poise
Hematocrit (Ht): normally about 45% for men and 40% for women
If hematocrit =46% so viscosity =



Factors:
Size of blood vessels Velocity (shear rate) Viscosity
Temperature Viscosity
1C Viscosity by 2%

( ) Ht .
plasma
5 2 1+ =q q
( ) Poise . . . . 032 0 46 0 5 2 1 015 0 = + = q


Viscosity, refers to the friction
that developed between the
molecules of a fluid during the flow
of that fluid.
It is determined by:
1) Hematocrit:
is the percentage (%) of the
concentration of red blood cells in
blood. It is normally about 45% for
men and 40% for women.
Increased in polycythemia and
decreased in anemia.
2) Plasma proteins.
Increased in
hypergammaglobulinemia.

Hematocrits in a healthy (normal)
person and in patients with
anemia and polycythemia.
2.3. total length of blood vessel:
Resistance to blood flow through a vessel total length of
blood vessel
Hypertension additional blood vessels in the adipose
tissue (fat/obese) total blood vessel length is longer
resistance to blood flow blood pressure
For each extra kilogram of fat, an estimated 650 km (about
400 miles) of additional blood vessels can develop in our
body!!!
Rate of Blood Flow
Poiseuilles Law:

F: rate of blood flow
P: pressure difference between two ends of the vessel
r: radius of the vessel
: blood viscosity
l: length of the vessel
l
r P
F
q
t
8
4
A
=
4
8
tan Re
r
l
R ce sis
t
q
= =
Velocity (V ) is inversely related to the
cross sectional area of the blood vessel
(A):
V=F/A
Blood does not flow as a plug in large vessels.
How does it flow ?
Movie 3
The fluid nearest the
vessel wall flows the
slowest, and fluid in
the center of the tube
moves the most
rapidly.

This produces layers
(laminae).

It is silent.

Flow is laminar up to
certain critical velocity.
If the flow rate is
increased then the
trend for turbulence
will increase .
F
l
o
w

Pressure Gradient
critical
velocity
Turbulence especially
occurs when critical
velocity is exceeded
mostly in areas of
stenosis
Eddy currents,
unpredictable
velocities
It is disturbed blood flow in form of eddy currents in various directions
Thank You!