The mobility analog for modeling the intra-arterial pressure wave parameters

To assist in the identification of physical/physiological parameters obtained from in vivo rat aortic artery dynamic pressure data, the natural (mobility) mechanical circuit model was constructed. The direct electrical analog of the model thus obtained was then analyzed using SPICE. The experimental data were obtained using a Multifunction Pressure Generator (MPG), appropriate pressure probes, and a high-speed video camera. Two 486 computers were used for system control and data recording and computation. Transfer functions in rational form of the ratio of the MPG input pressure (Pi) to the intra-arterial pressure (Po) were then generated in the s-domain. The mechanical circuit described by these rational functions was then constructed and transformed into its equivalent electrical model for analysis. On this basis, physiological pressures are represented by electrical currents, and volume flow rates by electrical voltages. The results obtained through steady-state (Bode plot) and transient analysis of the model developed suggest a compartmental model that explains the experimental observations. The mobility model is an improvement over previous models in that the mass element is referred to a single frame of reference, which agrees with the physical property that mass is a one-terminal device.