Mathematical modeling of cardiovascular flow.


"Complex nonlocal cardiovascular system mathematical modeling"

(PowerPoint Presentation)


The study related to hemodynamics in human body as a whole under the influence of periodically contracting heart. Attention is paid to cross-influence of various organs (in particular the kidney) on pressure in the cardiovascular system. Study is also envisaged of the influence of different factors connected with deviations from normal of functional characteristics of vessels, upon the condition of a system as a whole, as well as study of ways of compensating for the vessels’ deficiencies, e.g. bypass. One of the ways of putting this study into practice would be to analyze the impact and transportation within the cardiovascular system of pharmacological substances. Considerations of external influences, e.g. vibration, on the functioning of cardiovascular system, is also planed.

The cardiovascular system is formally described with a graph consisting of edges and nodes. Edges correspond to individual large vessels or to groups of similar small vessels. Nodes correspond to functional properties of either the zones of bifurcation of vessels or tissues of various organs.

The laws of conservation of mass and impulse have been chosen as a basis for description of blood flow in the system, with such laws in the form of partial differential equations in partial derivatives. The vessels are assumed sufficiently long compared with their diameter, which permits using the quasi one-dimensional approximation for their mathematical description. The length of the arc which connects the cross-section centers of the vessel (the vessel’s axis) has been chosen as the spatial coordinate. The area of cross-section depends upon the coordinates, time, pressure, etc. The blood density is assumed constant and the blood flow is directed along vessels axis.

In order to numerically implement the above- mentioned non-linear mathematical model in a graph, a conservative homogeneous implicit finite-difference scheme has been constructed on a directed graph. A system of finite-difference equations is completed with discrete analogues of correlations simulating the performance of organs corresponding to certain nodes. Since such system of finite-difference equations of hemodynamics represents a system of non-linear algebraic equations for values of functions in the dots of a discrete grid at a new time row, Newton method was used for solving this non-linear system.

The authors have created a software providing for mathematical modeling of hemodynamics at any graph of the cardiovascular system. These programs permit to modify the properties of graph elements in an interactive mode along with visualizing the results of calculations

Brief description of Research

The goal of this project, which was started in collaboration with the Faculty of Basic Medicine of MSU, was to create mathematical model, numerical methods and corresponding software for numerical simulations of cardiovascular flow. For this purpose cardiovascular system is associated with the graph of vessels (edges) and tissues (nodes). Each vessel is taken as a one-dimensional flexible pipe, which is oriented in 3-D space and connected either with other vessels or with tissues. Diameters of vessels are not constant and depend upon a great number of physiological and physical parameters, such as pressure, coefficient of flexibility, gravitation, etc. Vessel can be taken as a certain vessel or as a group of similar vessels. Tissues are characterized with their volume, its ability to produce or sorb a certain amount of blood, Darcy coefficient, etc. Series of models of heart with different complexity are considered. Pressure, velocity of blood, diameter of vessel, which are estimated in any point of cardiovascular graph, are taken as basic function to be computed in the result of numerical simulation.

From mathematical point of view, the problem is stated as a system of nonlinear partial differential equations of viscous fluid dynamics on a graph. This system is approximated with explicit conservative finite-difference scheme with specially designed linking conditions on a graph. This extremely complex system of nonlinear equations is solved with the help of iteration method.

Possibilities of Applications

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