Verification of cardiac mechanics software: benchmark problems and solutions for testing active and passive material...

Area of Science:

• Computational biology
• Biomechanical modeling
• Cardiac physiology

Background:

• Cardiac mechanics models are essential for understanding heart function but lack standardized verification methods.
• These models involve complex factors like anisotropic tissue properties and active contraction.
• Existing simulation codes need a consistent approach to ensure accuracy and replicability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a set of benchmark problems for verifying cardiac mechanics simulation software.
• To address the need for consistent accuracy and replicability in computational cardiac models.
• To facilitate the validation of current and future cardiac mechanics solvers.

Main Methods:

• Development of three benchmark problems specifically designed to test cardiac mechanics solvers.
• Inclusion of tests for pressure-type forces dependent on geometry, anisotropic material properties, and active contractile forces.
• Involvement of 11 independent research groups to solve the benchmarks and generate consensus solutions.

Main Results:

• Consensus solutions were generated by 11 different groups, demonstrating high agreement.
• Typical differences in higher-resolution solutions were approximately 0.5%.
• Consistent results were observed across various finite element types (linear, quadratic, cubic) and incompressible material simulation approaches.

Conclusions:

• The developed benchmark problems provide a reliable method for verifying cardiac mechanics simulation accuracy.
• The consensus solutions and available online tools will aid in the validation of future cardiac mechanics software.
• This work establishes a foundation for ensuring the reliability and comparability of computational models in cardiac physiology.