Intra-abdominal temperature variation during hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy evaluated via computational...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Medical Physics
• Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) utilizes heated drug solutions for intraperitoneal tumors.
• Understanding intra-abdominal flow dynamics is crucial for optimizing HIPEC drug pharmacokinetics and efficacy.
• Current HIPEC protocols lack precise understanding of drug distribution and temperature at critical sites.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate fluid flow dynamics at specific intra-abdominal locations using computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
• To enable optimization of HIPEC protocols through advanced modeling.
• To investigate the impact of flow rate and direction on drug delivery and temperature distribution.

Main Methods:

• A 30 L computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of a human intraperitoneal cavity was developed.
• Simulations analyzed forward and reverse flow directions at 800 or 1,120 cc/min with two inlets and two outlets.
• Temperature and flow probes were virtually placed at multiple at-risk intra-abdominal locations.

Main Results:

• Simulations revealed significant heterogeneity in temperature and flow at different intra-abdominal sites.
• Temperature variations ranged from 0.93 K to 3.6 K, and flow rates from <0.001 m/s to 0.01 m/s.
• Outflow temperature monitoring may be insufficient for assessing HIPEC performance at all critical locations.

Conclusions:

• Achieving target temperatures and homogeneity during HIPEC necessitates intra-abdominal monitoring at at-risk locations.
• Computational analysis can identify areas with suboptimal heating and flow.
• This modeling approach is a foundational step towards designing more efficacious HIPEC tumor targeting strategies.