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Review of cardiac-coronary interaction and insights from mathematical modeling
Lei Fan1, Haifeng Wang2, Ghassan S Kassab3
1Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, Marquette University and Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
Insights
Mathematical models reveal the complex, two-way interactions between the heart muscle (myocardium) and its blood vessels (coronary vasculature). Understanding this coupling is key to cardiac function and disease.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Computational Biology
Background:
- The heart's function relies on the intricate interplay between myocardial contraction and coronary blood flow.
- The heart is a high metabolic organ with oxygen demand met by coronary perfusion.
- Myocardial contraction mechanically impacts coronary vessels, creating a complex interaction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review cardiac-coronary interactions, emphasizing insights from mathematical modeling.
- To explore mechanical, metabolic, and perfusion-contraction dynamics.
- To identify knowledge gaps and future research directions in myocardium-coronary coupling.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on cardiac-coronary interactions.
- Focus on mathematical models analyzing mechanical and metabolic coupling.
- Integration of experimental and clinical findings.
Main Results:
- Mathematical models provide crucial insights into the two-way relationship between myocardium and coronary vasculature.
- Key interactions include mechanical squeezing, metabolic regulation, and perfusion-contraction matching.
- Chronic adaptations in this coupling are also examined.
Conclusions:
- Understanding myocardium-coronary coupling is essential for comprehending heart function and disease.
- Mathematical modeling is a powerful tool for dissecting these complex interactions.
- Further research is needed to address limitations in current models and fully elucidate cardiac-coronary dynamics.
Abstract:
Cardiac-coronary interaction is fundamental to the function of the heart. As one of the highest metabolic organs in the body, the cardiac oxygen demand is met by blood perfusion through the coronary vasculature. The coronary vasculature is largely embedded within the myocardial tissue which is continually contracting and hence squeezing the blood vessels. The myocardium-coronary vessel interaction is two-ways and complex. Here, we review the different types of cardiac-coronary interactions with a focus on insights gained from mathematical models. Specifically, we will consider the following: (1) myocardial-vessel mechanical interaction; (2) metabolic-flow interaction and regulation; (3) perfusion-contraction matching, and (4) chronic interactions between the myocardium and coronary vasculature. We also provide a discussion of the relevant experimental and clinical studies of different types of cardiac-coronary interactions. Finally, we highlight knowledge gaps, key challenges, and limitations of existing mathematical models along with future research directions to understand the unique myocardium-coronary coupling in the heart. This article is categorized under: Cardiovascular Diseases > Computational Models Cardiovascular Diseases > Biomedical Engineering Cardiovascular Diseases > Molecular and Cellular Physiology.
