The Fåhræus-Lindqvist effect in small blood vessels: how does it help the heart?

The Fåhræus-Lindqvist effect is usually explained from a physical point of view with the so-called Haynes' marginal zone theory, i.e., migration of red blood cells (RBCs) to a core layer surrounded by an annular RBCs-free plasma layer. In this paper we show that the marginal layer, though causing a substantial reduction in flow resistance and increasing discharge, does not reduce the rate of energy dissipation. This fact is not surprising if one considers the electric analog of the flow in a vessel: a resistance reduction increases both the current intensity (i.e., the discharge) and the energy dissipation. This result is obtained by considering six rheological models that relate the blood viscosity to hematocrit (volume fraction occupied by erythrocytes). Some physiological implications are discussed.