The modelling of blood coagulation using the quartz crystal microbalance

Blood is a clinically-important analytical matrix that is routinely selected for disease monitoring. Having a clear understanding of the mechanisms involved in blood coagulation is a key consideration in haemostasis, with modern clinical practices requiring rapid, miniaturised and informative diagnostic platforms to reliably study changes in viscoelasticity (VE). Oscillatory transducers such as the Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) have considerable potential in this area, provided that they present simple, linear rheometric readings which can be adequately analysed and interpreted. Hence, integrating QCM data obtained in the laboratory with mathematical modelling of acoustic interactions between quartz crystal surfaces and coagulating blood is an important consideration for modelling thrombus formation. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of experimental and theoretical applications currently being employed to monitor and model the VE properties of coagulating blood when applied to a QCM resonator, with key emphasis on data modelling and interpretation. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.