CFD simulation of flow through heart: a perspective review

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Computational Fluid Dynamics
• Cardiac Mechanics

Background:

• The heart's function involves complex interactions between blood flow and the contracting muscular wall.
• Accurate computational modeling of the heart is challenging due to the coupled nature of fluid and solid mechanics.
• Existing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models often rely on simplifying assumptions, limiting their realism.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a realistic fluid-structure interaction (FSI) modeling approach for the heart.
• To highlight the importance of accurate boundary conditions and coupling algorithms in cardiac CFD.
• To outline a comprehensive computational framework for simulating integrated heart function.

Main Methods:

• Employing the finite element method (FEM) for modeling the cardiac structure.
• Utilizing CFD for simulating blood fluid dynamics.
• Implementing advanced coupling algorithms for realistic fluid-structure interaction.

Main Results:

• The proposed FSI method provides a more realistic approach to cardiac modeling compared to traditional CFD.
• This method effectively addresses the complexities of cardiac structure and fluid-structure interactions.
• It lays the groundwork for integrating multiple aspects of cardiac function in silico.

Conclusions:

• Realistic fluid-structure interaction modeling is crucial for accurate cardiac simulation.
• Advanced computational methods enable a more comprehensive understanding of heart function.
• The ultimate goal is a unified computational framework integrating anatomy, electrophysiology, mechanics, metabolism, and fluid dynamics.