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Biomechanical characterization of ventricular-arterial coupling during aging: a multi-scale model study
F Y Liang1, S Takagi, R Himeno
1Computational Science Research Program, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
Journal of Biomechanics
|March 6, 2009
Summary
Aging stiffens arteries, increasing blood pressure and impacting heart performance. While arterial stiffening has minor negative effects on the left ventricle (LV), it significantly elevates LV and aortic pressures, with dilation offering some protection.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Gerontology
Background:
- Left ventricular-arterial (VA) coupling is crucial for assessing cardiovascular mechanical performance.
- Understanding age-related hemodynamic changes is vital for cardiovascular health.
- Existing models often simplify the complex interactions within the cardiovascular system.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate coupled VA hemodynamic changes during aging using a multi-scale cardiovascular model.
- To elucidate the impact of age-associated arterial property changes on left ventricular (LV) function.
- To identify the mechanisms behind age-related increases in systolic and pulse pressures.
Main Methods:
- Development of a closed-loop, multi-scale computational model of the human cardiovascular system.
- Simulation of hemodynamic changes across the aging spectrum.
- Application of wave analysis to assess characteristic impedance and wave reflections.
- Analysis of the interplay between arterial stiffness, aortic dilatation, and LV mechanical performance.
Main Results:
- Age-associated arterial stiffening minimally affects LV mechanical performance but significantly increases LV and aortic systolic pressures and aortic pulse pressure.
- Increased aortic characteristic impedance and premature wave reflections due to arterial stiffening are key drivers of age-related hypertension.
- Aortic dilatation can partially mitigate the adverse effects of arterial stiffening.
- Coupled LV-systolic and arterial stiffening preserves LV mechanical performance but further elevates pressures, assuming normal diastolic function.
Conclusions:
- Arterial stiffening is a primary factor in age-related increases in blood pressure, with complex interactions influencing LV performance.
- Wave reflection and impedance changes are critical contributors to systolic hypertension in older individuals.
- The model provides insights into distinguishing arterial, LV-systolic, and diastolic stiffness states through pressure-index sensitivity analysis.
