All of the following are impoant in determining blood viscosity except?
Blood is a non-Newtonian fluid, that changes viscosity with velocity of blood flow. The major determinants of blood viscosity are hematocrit, plasma protein concentration and shear rate or blood flow velocity. These effects are paicularly noticeable when the paicle size becomes "large" in relation to the vessel size. Red blood cell-vessel effects become measurable when the lumen diameter drops below 1 mm and become impoant in the microcirculation when the lumen diameter decreases to 100--200 um.
Hematocrit
Plasma protein concentration
Shear rate
Systemic aerial blood pressure