Umbilical cord whole blood viscosity and the umbilical artery flow velocity time waveforms: a correlation.

The possibility was examined of an association between umbilical cord whole blood viscosity and umbilical artery flow velocity time waveforms obtained with continuous wave Doppler ultrasound. The cord blood viscosity was measured at both high (100 s-1) and low (0.1 s-1) shear rates with a concentric cylinder viscometer. Plasma viscosity and fibrinogen were also measured. An abnormal pattern in the umbilical artery flow velocity waveform (high A/B ratio) indicative of high resistance was associated with an increase in whole blood viscosity at high shear (which may reflect a change in red cell rigidity). Viscosity at low shear (reflecting red cell aggregation and rouleaux formation) did not differ. There was a significant association between the small-for-gestational age fetus and abnormal umbilical artery waveform study (P less than 0.002) but not abnormal whole blood viscosity at high (P = 0.09) or low (P = 0.08) shear.