A computationally efficient physiologically comprehensive 3D–0D closed-loop model of the heart and circulation

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cma.2021.114092Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Physiologically comprehensive 3D–0D closed loop model of heart and circulation.

  • Major advance in computational efficiency, facilitating model personalization.

  • Flexible coupling scheme for mixing 3D and 0D representations of cardiac chambers.

  • Proven physiological predictive power under a broad range of experimental protocols.

  • Key technology for enabling electro-mechanical modeling to predict therapy responses.

  • First simulations of transient electro-mechanical responses between limit cycles.

Abstract

Computer models of cardiac electro-mechanics (EM) show promise as an effective means for the quantitative analysis of clinical data and, potentially, for predicting therapeutic responses. To realize such advanced applications methodological key challenges must be addressed. Enhanced computational efficiency and robustness is crucial to facilitate, within tractable time frames, model personalization, the simulation of prolonged observation periods under a broad range of conditions, and physiological completeness encompassing therapy-relevant mechanisms is needed to endow models with predictive capabilities beyond the mere replication of observations.

Here, we introduce a universal feature-complete cardiac EM modeling framework that builds on a flexible method for coupling a 3D model of bi-ventricular EM to the physiologically comprehensive 0D CircAdapt model representing atrial mechanics and closed-loop circulation. A detailed mathematical description is given and efficiency, robustness, and accuracy of numerical scheme and solver implementation are evaluated. After parameterization and stabilization of the coupled 3D–0D model to a limit cycle under baseline conditions, the model’s ability to replicate physiological behaviors is demonstrated, by simulating the transient response to alterations in loading conditions and contractility, as induced by experimental protocols used for assessing systolic and diastolic ventricular properties. Mechanistic completeness and computational efficiency of this novel model render advanced applications geared towards predicting acute outcomes of EM therapies feasible.

Keywords

Ventricular pressure–volume relation
Frank–Starling mechanism
Ventricular load

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