A blood cell deformability detector: the application of microfluidic flow cells in a blood rheology analyser

The author concludes that a filter structure with monitoring at many points along each pore would be advantageous. The author has implemented this with a planar topology that can be envisaged as either an array of micropipettes or a two dimensional filter matrix. The array consists of a number of flow channels, similar in both length and cross sectional area (but not, as yet, profile) to their physiological equivalents. By adopting this topology the author retains the advantages of preceding techniques and largely circumvent their respective disadvantages. Flow cell reproducibility is a function of the fabrication technology adopted, microengineering techniques are thus eminently suitable. So far the system has been developed to provide steady state analysis of flowing cells. However prototype entrance structures and flow constrictions have also been developed to provide for dynamic measurements of cell entry phenomena. The devices are fabricated by bulk micromachining. The flow channels have a nominal width and depth of 4 μm and length of 90 μm