Component quantification of aortic blood flow energy loss using computational fluid-structure interaction...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Computational Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• The aorta is central to blood circulation, and energy loss (EL) during blood flow may link to aortic diseases.
• Understanding the components of blood flow EL is crucial but not fully elucidated.
• This research quantifies EL components in healthy and diseased aortas.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively reveal the components of blood flow energy loss (EL) in healthy and diseased aortas.
• To investigate the correlation between EL and aortic diseases.
• To provide novel insights into the pathogenesis of aortic diseases.

Main Methods:

• Computational hemodynamic studies using a fluid-structure interaction simulation framework.
• Idealized models of a healthy aorta and three diseased aortas (aneurysm, coarctation, dissection) were constructed.
• High-resolution blood flow information was acquired to analyze EL components.

Main Results:

• Four EL components were quantified: viscous friction, turbulence dissipation, wall deformation, and local lesion.
• Viscous friction was the largest contributor to EL (45.69%-57.22%), followed by wall deformation (15.18%-33.12%).
• Turbulence dissipation and local lesion proportions varied with geometric characteristics; aortic buffering efficiency was approximately 80%.

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first quantitative report on blood flow EL components in healthy and diseased aortas.
• The findings offer new perspectives on the underlying mechanisms of aortic diseases.
• Understanding these energy loss components can inform future research and clinical strategies for aortic conditions.