Finite element analysis of blood flow and heat transfer in an image-based human finger

The human finger is said to be the extension of the brain and can convey the information on mechanical, thermal, and tissue damaging. The quantitative prediction of blood flow rate and heat generation are of great importance for diagnosing blood circulation illness and for the noninvasive measurement of blood glucose. In this study, we developed a coupled thermofluid model to simulate blood flow in large vessels and living tissue. The finite element (FE) model to analyze the blood perfusion and heat transport in the human finger was developed based on the transport theory in porous media. With regard to the blood flow in the large arteries and veins, the systemic blood circulation in the upper limb was modeled based on the one-dimensional flow in an elastic tube. The blood pressure and velocity in each vessel were first computed and the corresponding values for the large vessels in the finger were subsequently transferred to the FE model as the boundary conditions. The realistic geometric model for the human finger was constructed based on the MRI image data. After computing the capillary pressure and blood velocity in the tissue, the temperatures in the large vessels and the tissue of the finger were computed simultaneously by numerically solving the energy equation in porous media. The computed blood flow in tissues is in agreement with the anatomical structure and the measurement. It is believed that this analysis model will have extensive applications in the prediction of peripheral blood flow, temperature variation, and mass transport.