Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 9, 2025
07:34
Layer Microdissection of Tricuspid Valve Leaflets for Biaxial Mechanical Characterization and Microstructural Quantification
Published on: February 10, 2022
2.1K
The Interventricular Septum Is Biomechanically Distinct from the Ventricular Free Walls
Michael Nguyen-Truong1, Wenqiang Liu1, Courtney Doherty1,2
1School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland)
|December 23, 2021
Summary
The interventricular septum is softer and has less collagen than ventricular walls, impacting heart pumping. This study reveals its unique mechanical properties, crucial for understanding heart physiology.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Biomechanics
- Cardiac Mechanics
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- The interventricular septum's mechanical behavior is poorly understood compared to ventricular walls.
- Its contribution to cardiac pumping necessitates detailed mechanical characterization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the biaxial and transmural mechanical properties of the interventricular septum.
- To compare the septum's mechanical properties with the free walls of the left and right ventricles (LV/RV).
Main Methods:
- Biaxial tensile mechanical testing on sheep heart septal and free wall samples.
- Constitutive modeling to determine passive mechanical properties.
- Analysis of collagen content and fiber orientation.
Main Results:
- The septum is significantly softer than LV and RV free walls, with lower collagen content.
- Septum exhibits anisotropic behavior at low strains (stiffer longitudinally) and isotropic behavior at high strains.
- Both septal sides show similar intrinsic elasticity.
Conclusions:
- The interventricular septum possesses distinct biomechanical properties compared to ventricular free walls.
- These findings enhance understanding of septal function in overall cardiac mechanics.
- Provides critical data for cardiac modeling and disease research.
Related Concept Videos
01:16Chambers of the Heart
6.3K
The human heart is a complex organ made up of four chambers: the right and left atria and the right and left ventricles. These internal chambers are separated by partitions known as the interatrial and interventricular septa. The exterior of the heart features a groove known as the coronary sulcus that demarcates the atria from the ventricles, while the anterior and posterior interventricular sulci distinguish between the two ventricles.
Deoxygenated blood from the body is received in the right...
Deoxygenated blood from the body is received in the right...
6.3K
01:15Layers of the Heart Wall
3.7K
The heart wall comprises three distinct layers: the epicardium, myocardium, and endocardium. The outermost layer, the epicardium, is the visceral layer of the serous pericardium, featuring a thin, transparent mesothelial surface and an inner layer of areolar connective tissue with fat deposits that increase with age.
The myocardium, the thickest layer, consists of cardiac muscle cells interconnected by intercalated discs and crisscrossing connective tissue fibers. These muscle fibers contract...
The myocardium, the thickest layer, consists of cardiac muscle cells interconnected by intercalated discs and crisscrossing connective tissue fibers. These muscle fibers contract...
3.7K
01:27Anatomy of the Heart
112.5K
The human heart is made up of three layers of tissue that are surrounded by the pericardium, a membrane that protects and confines the heart. The outermost layer, closest to the pericardium, is the epicardium. The pericardial cavity separates the pericardium from the epicardium. Beneath the epicardium is the myocardium, the middle layer, and the endocardium, the innermost layer. There are four chambers of the heart: the right atrium, the right ventricle, the left atrium, and the left ventricle.
112.5K
01:27Development of the Heart
1.4K
The development of the human heart, a crucial organ, commences from the mesoderm on the 18th or 19th day after fertilization. This process initiates in the cardiogenic area, a group of mesodermal cells at the embryo's head end, which evolves into elongated strands known as cardiogenic cords. These cords undergo a transformation to form hollow-centered endocardial tubes.
As the embryo undergoes lateral folding, these paired tubes approach each other, merging into a single primitive heart...
As the embryo undergoes lateral folding, these paired tubes approach each other, merging into a single primitive heart...
1.4K
01:13Structure of Cardiac Muscles
14.9K
Cardiac muscle, or myocardium, is a specialized type of muscle found exclusively in the heart. Its unique structural and functional characteristics enable the heart to perform its vital role of pumping blood throughout the body continuously and rhythmically. The cardiac muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes, possess an endomysium and perimysium but do not have an epimysium.
Compared to skeletal muscles, cardiac muscle cells are small and mostly have a single nucleus. Additionally, they are usually...
Compared to skeletal muscles, cardiac muscle cells are small and mostly have a single nucleus. Additionally, they are usually...
14.9K
01:16Heart Valves
6.9K
The human heart is a complex organ with an intricate system of valves that regulate blood flow. There are two main types of valves: atrioventricular (AV) valves and semilunar valves.
The AV valves prevent the backflow of blood from the ventricles to the atria during ventricular contraction. These valves function with the assistance of the chordae tendineae and papillary muscles. When the ventricles are relaxed, the chordae tendineae are slack, allowing blood to flow from the atria into the...
The AV valves prevent the backflow of blood from the ventricles to the atria during ventricular contraction. These valves function with the assistance of the chordae tendineae and papillary muscles. When the ventricles are relaxed, the chordae tendineae are slack, allowing blood to flow from the atria into the...
6.9K