Which term describes normal blood flow that occurs in parallel layers and is smooth and streamlined?

Which term describes normal blood flow that occurs in parallel layers and is smooth and streamlined?

• A. Parabolic flow
• B. Laminar flow
• C. Turbulent flow
• D. Plug flow

Answer: (B)

Laminar flow is the term that describes normal blood flow occurring in parallel layers that glide smoothly past one another. In this pattern, blood moves in orderly sheets, viscosity keeps layers from mixing, and velocity is highest in the center and decreases toward the walls, producing a smooth, streamlined flow (often described as parabolic in circular vessels). This stands in contrast to turbulent flow, which is chaotic and has eddies and cross‑flow mixing, and to plug flow, where velocities are nearly the same across the cross-section. Parabolic flow is a velocity profile seen within laminar flow, not the overall descriptor.

Laminar flow is the term that describes normal blood flow occurring in parallel layers that glide smoothly past one another. In this pattern, blood moves in orderly sheets, viscosity keeps layers from mixing, and velocity is highest in the center and decreases toward the walls, producing a smooth, streamlined flow (often described as parabolic in circular vessels). This stands in contrast to turbulent flow, which is chaotic and has eddies and cross‑flow mixing, and to plug flow, where velocities are nearly the same across the cross-section. Parabolic flow is a velocity profile seen within laminar flow, not the overall descriptor.