UC Irvine

Thrombosis is when pathological blood clotting occurs within the blood vessel without there being damage to normally trigger the coagulation cascade. Thromboembolism is when the thrombus dislodges and occludes a blood vessel elsewhere in the body, such as the brain, heart, or lungs. Morbidity rate is high, with 20% of patients with pulmonary embolism who die within 30 days of diagnosis, and 30% of patients have a recurring instance within 10 years. Ferric chloride is used in an existing mouse model to trigger thrombus formation. In this thesis, a microfluidic device that meets whole blood with ferric chloride is adapted to accommodate vials over the inlets and outlet to drive flow through the device with hydrostatic pressure. The pressures attained by the vials did not allow the blood to reach the intersection with the ferric chloride. A syringe pump and alterations in channel dimensions could be more successful.