Multiscale Modelling of Platelet Activation in Membrane Oxygenation Systems

One of the most common cause of failure in oxygenator systems consist of the thrombogenic risk associated with the interaction between the blood and the engineering material. For this reason, the use of membrane oxygenators is restricted to only 2-4 weeks in the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system (ECMO). Using computational fluid dynamics, this study aims to investigate the mechanisms underlying the shear-mediated platelet activation in an oxygenation system. This was accomplished by first developing a multiscale model for the oxygenator system, followed by the estimation of the thrombogenic risk by mathematical modelling. High values of particle stress were found at inlet and outlet of blood flow. Computational flow analysis has revealed important insights into the thrombogenic mechanisms, suggesting that numerical analysis can be an effective tool to improve the design of oxygenator systems and reduce the time-to-market and animal trials.