Deformability and other rheological interactions of red blood cells in electronic cell sizing.

The red blood cell apparent-size spectrum, obtained using resistive pulse spectroscopy (RPS) with typical electrical response times, is characterized by a bimodality, which in turn is quantified by a bimodality index. The magnitude of the index reflects the nonuniformity in distribution of particle trajectories within the orifice, itself a function of cell deformability. In measurements of mixed populations of glutaraldehyde-fixed and native cells, the index is found to be linearly dependent on the fraction of deformable cells. The index, previously known to be a function of flow rate, is now found to be a function of the electric field strength within the orifice as well. Furthermore a previously reported time-dependent loss of bimodality, for the uncounted cells remaining in a counting-vial suspension, appears to be a function of the electric field strength far outside the orifice. The relationship between the pressure drop across the orifice and the average linear fluid velocity through the orifice has been measured, and it is concluded that the flow within the orifice is non-turbulent, at all but the highest flow rates. The non-turbulent flow condition, coupled with the short resident time within the orifice, implies that the observed selection of different trajectories (as a function of cell deformability) must take place well in front of the orifice.