Hemodynamic effects of the human aorta arch with different inflow rate waveforms from the ascending aorta inlet: A numerical study

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Chen, Ying^{a; b; c; †} | Yang, Yunmei^d | Tan, Wenchang^{b; c;} | Fu, Liqin^a | Deng, Xiaoyan^{e; f} | Xing, Yubin^g

Affiliations: [a] College of Engineering and Technology, Beijing Institute of Economics and Management, Beijing, China | [b] College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China | [c] Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, Shenzhen, China | [d] Yanshan County People’s Hospital of Hebei, Yanshan, Hebei, China | [e] Beijing Advanced Innovation Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China | [f] School of Automation and Information Engineering, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong, Sichuan, China | [g] Department of Infection Management and Disease Control, The General Hospital of People’s Liberation Army, Beijing, China

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Wenchang Tan, Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, Shenzhen 518055, China. E-mail: tanwch@pku.edu.cn

Note: [†] Dr. Ying Chen is designated as the corresponding author during the manuscript submission and processing. Wenchang Tan is designated as the corresponding authors for the final article.

Abstract: BACKGROUND:Heart failure (HF) is a common disease globally. Ventricular assist devices (VADs) are widely used to treat HF. In contrast to the natural heart, different VADs generate different blood flow waves in the aorta. OBJECTIVE:To explore whether the different inflow rate waveforms from the ascending aorta generate far-reaching hemodynamic influences on the human aortic arch. METHODS:An aortic geometric model was reconstructed based on computed tomography data of a patient with HF. A total of five numerical simulations were conducted, including a case with the inflow rate waveforms from the ascending aorta with normal physiological conditions, two HF, and two with typical VAD support. The hemodynamic parameters, wall shear stress (WSS), oscillatory shear index (OSI), relative residence time (RRT), and the strength of the helical flow, were calculated. RESULTS:In contrast to the natural heart, numerical simulations showed that HF decreased WSS and induced higher OSI and RRT. Moreover, HF weakened helical flow strength. Pulsatile flow VADs that elevated the WSS, induced some helical flow, while continuous flow VADs could not. CONCLUSIONS:HF leads to an adverse hemodynamic environment by decreasing WSS and reducing the helical flow strength. Based upon hemodynamic effects, pulsatile flow VADs may be more advantageous than continuous flow VADs. Thus, pulsatile flow VADs may be a better option for patients with HF.

Keywords: Heart failure, wall shear stress, continuous flow, pulsatile flow, helical flow

DOI: 10.3233/BIR-201009

Journal: Biorheology, vol. 58, no. 1-2, pp. 27-38, 2021