Computational modeling of vascular clamping: a step toward simulating surgery

The objective of this study was to simulate clamping of the aorta. It is computationally demanding and involves contact between clamp and aorta, large deformations, and fluid-structure interactions (FSI). Models of the aortic root and clamp were created and solve in ADINA, a Finite Element Analysis package. The tissue model was created using a non-linear material. Fluid-structure interactions (FSI) were modeled. The deformation profile of the simulated aorta matched well with that of the real tissue. Clamping of a fluid-filled pressurized aorta, an important first step towards simulating of surgical procedures, was successfully modeled. The simulation was validated by clamping experiments. The modeling techniques developed are also applicable to pre-operative planning of cardiovascular surgery.