Dynamics of the aortic arch submitted to a shock loading: Parametric study with fluid-structure models

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Cardiovascular Engineering
• Computational Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Aortic arch injuries can occur during sudden deceleration events like car crashes.
• Understanding the mechanical forces leading to aortic damage is crucial for injury prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To model fluid-structure interactions in the aorta under sudden loading.
• To investigate the role of blood viscosity and aortic conditions in stress evolution and potential tissue damage.

Main Methods:

• Development of fluid-structure interaction models for aorta dynamics.
• Simulation of shock loading scenarios inspired by experimental setups.
• Testing various blood constitutive laws with a linear elastic aorta model.

Main Results:

• Blood viscosity significantly influences aortic stress, parietal moments, and forces.
• Nonlinear viscosity had minimal impact on healthy aortas.
• Nonlinear viscosity altered stress and parietal loadings in stenotic aortas.

Conclusions:

• Sudden deceleration can induce damaging stresses in the aorta.
• Blood viscosity is a critical factor in aortic injury mechanics.
• Stenotic aortas are more susceptible to altered mechanical loadings under dynamic conditions.