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Fractal analysis of viscoelastic data with automated gel point location and its potential application in the investigation of therapeutically modified blood coagulation

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Abstract

This study reports an automated numerical method for the location of the gel point in oscillatory shear data and demonstrates its potential application in measurements on therapeutically modified (heparinised) samples of healthy coagulating blood. Heparin prolongs the onset of clot formation and has a significant effect on the microstructure of the clot which is eventually formed. The results demonstrate the potential of this rheometrical technique as a new tool for monitoring the effect of heparin on samples of whole blood with significantly better linearity of response within the therapeutic range than another global coagulation monitoring technique (thromboelastography) which has previously been used.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the support of EPSRC grant EP/C513037/1 and a Royal Society Brian Mercer Feasibility Award in this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Swansea University, Swansea, UK

    P. Adrian Evans, Matthew Lawrence, Naresh Thirumalai & Karl Hawkins

  2. School of Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, UK

    P. Rhodri Williams, Matthew Barrow, Daniel Curtis & M. Rowan Brown

  3. Department of Haematology, Morriston Hospital, Swansea, UK

    Roger Munro, Lisa Wakeman & Andrew Beddel

  4. School of Applied Sciences, UWIC, Cardiff, UK

    R. H. Keith Morris & M. Rowan Brown

Authors
  1. P. Adrian Evans
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  2. Matthew Lawrence
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  3. R. H. Keith Morris
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  4. Naresh Thirumalai
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  5. Roger Munro
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  6. Lisa Wakeman
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  7. Andrew Beddel
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  8. P. Rhodri Williams
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  9. Matthew Barrow
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  10. Daniel Curtis
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  11. M. Rowan Brown
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  12. Karl Hawkins
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Karl Hawkins.

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Evans, P.A., Lawrence, M., Morris, R.H.K. et al. Fractal analysis of viscoelastic data with automated gel point location and its potential application in the investigation of therapeutically modified blood coagulation. Rheol Acta 49, 901–908 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00397-010-0472-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00397-010-0472-7

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