Podcast #268: Poiseuille’s Law

Author:  Dave Rosenberg, M.D.

Educational Pearls

• Poiseuille’s Law addresses the flow of a fluid through a tube.
• Many common ED presentations involve alterations in flow: asthma, MI, ischemic stroke, etc.
• According to the law, flow increases with the 4th power of the radius. That is to say, doubling the radius of the tube will increase the flow by 16x.
• Therefore, in situations that require re-opening of an anatomic tube (artery, airway), small changes in the size of the opening will result in dramatic effects.

References: https://www.openanesthesia.org/poiseuilles_law_iv_fluids/