The effective medium model is a modified model for flow through beds of perfusive particles. This model accounts for the advantages in the existing models and eliminate most of their disadvantages. This model consists of a perfusive particle surrounded by a hypothetical envelope that has fluid only. This envelope is surrounded by a swarm of perfusive particles with permeability equal to the bed permeability. The analytical solution has been obtained by solving Brinkman's equation in the swarm and the perfusive particle and Navier-Stokes equation for creeping flow in the envelope. This model has proven to converge to the existing models. Where, the proposed model is more General. The validity of this model has been tested through the relation between its parameters, where a relation has been derived through the macroscopic and microscopic force balances on a perfusive bed and a single perfusive particle, respectively. The analysis shows that the result from the effective medium model is in a good agreement with the available experimental data for overall bed permeability. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.