The study of the rheological properties of blood (blood viscosity) is based on the study of the viscosity of whole blood at different shear rates, plasma viscosity, aggregation (sedimentation rate) of erythrocytes, and the deformability of erythrocytes.
The first mention of hemostasis monitoring appeared more than 3000 years ago with the description of the first test of the duration of bleeding time after skin damage, made by the Chinese Emperor Huang Ti.
Understanding the rheological properties of blood is an important component of assessing a patient's microcirculation and is a challenging task for the physician, even in today's environment.