CRIMSON: An open-source software framework for cardiovascular integrated modelling and simulation

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Computational Fluid Dynamics
• Medical Imaging Analysis

Background:

• Computational hemodynamics is crucial for understanding cardiovascular diseases.
• Existing tools often lack integration, user-friendliness, or accessibility for clinicians and students.
• There is a need for a comprehensive, open-source platform for cardiovascular modeling and simulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the CRIMSON (CardiovasculaR Integrated Modelling and SimulatiON) software environment.
• To provide a powerful, customizable, and user-friendly system for 3D and reduced-order computational hemodynamics studies.
• To make advanced computational hemodynamics tools accessible to researchers, clinicians, and students globally.

Main Methods:

• Vascular structure segmentation from medical images.
• Analytic arterial and venous geometric model construction.
• Finite element mesh generation, boundary condition application, and incompressible Navier-Stokes simulations with fluid-structure interaction.
• Post-processing and visualization of blood flow, pressure, and wall shear stress fields.

Main Results:

• CRIMSON offers a complete pipeline from image segmentation to results visualization.
• The software leverages open-source standards for broad compatibility and accessibility.
• It has been successfully applied to diverse clinical problems, including surgical planning and medical device optimization.

Conclusions:

• CRIMSON is a versatile and accessible software environment for computational hemodynamics.
• Its integrated approach facilitates complex cardiovascular modeling and simulation.
• The platform supports advancements in clinical practice and medical device development through accessible simulation tools.