arterioscope.sim: Enabling Simulations of Blood Flow and Its Impact on Bioimpedance Signals

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging
• Cardiovascular Research

Background:

• Early detection of cardiovascular diseases like arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis is vital for patient survival.
• Current diagnostic methods (imaging, invasive procedures) are costly and carry risks.
• Impedance plethysmography (IPG) offers a potential non-invasive and affordable alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a simulation platform, arterioscope.sim, for modeling arterial bioimpedance.
• To explore the utility of IPG for the early, non-invasive diagnosis of arterial diseases.
• To generate high-quality impedance data for research and clinical application.

Main Methods:

• Developed arterioscope.sim, a platform simulating arterial blood flow and electrical conductivity.
• Modeled bioimpedance measurements on specific body segments using patient-specific parameters.
• Introduced simulated arterial diseases (atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis) to observe effects on bioimpedance signals.

Main Results:

• Simulations showed significant changes in bioimpedance signals with induced atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis.
• Simulated healthy artery signals strongly correlated with measurements from a healthy volunteer.
• Validated the accuracy and reliability of the arterioscope.sim platform.

Conclusions:

• arterioscope.sim effectively simulates bioimpedance in healthy and diseased arteries.
• The simulation highlights IPG's potential for early, non-invasive diagnosis of arterial diseases.
• This approach offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional diagnostic methods.