Authors: Shawn C Shadden Sahar Hendabadi
Publish Date: 2012/07/11
Volume: 12, Issue: 3, Pages: 467-474
Abstract
Platelet activation is a precursor for blood clotting which plays leading roles in many vascular complications and causes of death Platelets can be activated by chemical or mechanical stimuli Mechanically platelet activation has been shown to be a function of elevated shear stress and exposure time These contributions can be combined by considering the cumulative stress or strain on a platelet as it is transported Here we develop a framework for computing a hemodynamicbased activation potential that is derived from a Lagrangian integral of strain rate magnitude We demonstrate that such a measure is generally maximized along and near to distinguished material surfaces in the flow The connections between activation potential and these structures are illustrated through stenotic flow computations We uncover two distinct structures that may explain observed thrombus formation at the apex and downstream of stenoses More broadly these findings suggest fundamental relationships may exist between potential fluid mechanic pathways for mechanical platelet activation and the mechanisms governing their transport
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