Key result
Porous orifice tube hydrodynamics and branching laws challenge Starling's law of capillary fluid transfer.
Why the study?
There are misconceptions and missing data regarding capillary ultrastructure anatomy and physiology, including errors in Starling's law and misunderstandings about capillary cross-sectional area and blood speed.
This theoretical review challenges established physiological principles like Starling's law, proposing new models for capillary hydrodynamics and blood flow.
Challenges Starling's law and capillary misconceptions in teaching; leaves open needs for revised models and missing microvascular data.
This article summarizes what is already known about the capillary ultrastructure anatomy and physiology that includes one wrong physiological law of Starling and two misconceptions on capillaries cross section area and blood speed in its lumen. It also identifies missing data such as the number and diameters of capillaries branching from the terminal arteriole, and the speed of blood at the arterial and venous ends. It also summaries the evidence on new knowledge on capillary physiology namely the hydrodynamic of the porous orifice (G) tube built on a scale to capillary ultrastructure anatomy of pre-capillary sphincter and inter-cellular slits pores. It proves Starling’s law wrong and provide its correct replacement. The Tree Branching Law (TBL) corrects both misconceptions on capillaries cross section area being larger that the aorta and capillary blood speed is “very slow”. The TBL proves that the cross-section area of all capillaries is less than that of the aorta, and the blood speed in capillary is faster than generally received. The G tube’ magnetic field like hydrodynamics is the correct replacement for Starling’s law on the capillary-ISF transfer. This new capillary-ISF transfer allows for fast efficient function that meets cells and tissue demands at rest and during strenuous exercise.
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Ahmed N Ghanem (2022) conducted a review in Capillary physiology. Hydrodynamics of the G tube and Tree Branching Law vs. Starling's law was evaluated. The hydrodynamics of the porous orifice (G) tube and the Tree Branching Law provide a new model for capillary-interstitial fluid transfer, challenging the traditional Starling's law.
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