Investigating the relationship between fibrin microstructure and blood viscoelasticity in patients with percutaneous ventricular assist pumps

The viscoelastic properties and microstructure of the fibrin clot network is compromised in patients with coagulation abnormalities. In this study, we harness two novel optical approaches, iCoagLab and Spectrally Encoded Confocal Microscopy (SECM), to investigate how modifications in viscoelastic properties of blood clots are reflected in the microstructural features of the fibrin network in patients on ventricular assist devices. We observe that blood clot viscoelasticity is directly related with fibrin density, fiber length and fiber straightness of fully polymerized fibrin network.