Abstract
This paper is concerned with determining experimentally the extent to which the assumption of blood being a Newtonian fluid affects the flow through a distal anastomosis. While many authors studying vascular fluid mechanics are turning their attention to geometrical considerations, the importance of the non-Newtonian effect is still unclear, and has yet to be experimentally quantified for anastomotic flows. The study reported in this paper aims to address the problems inherent in any comparison between a Newtonian and non-Newtonian flow by investigating qualitative Reynolds number trends in the flow characteristics for both types of fluid. Estimates are then made regarding the quantitative differences that may be expected when using a Newtonian fluid to represent blood flow through an anastomosis.