A Multi-Physical Computational Model for Simulating Pathological Ventricular Remodelling in Human Myocardial Growth

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Abstract

We introduce a three-dimensional constitutive model, which we have developed to encapsulate the electro-visco-elastic-growth response in the myocardium. This innovative model incorporates a fully implicit staggered solution procedure, specifically designed to handle the strong electromechanical coupling that characterizes myocardial behavior. Our novel formulations provide an advanced tool to simulate and analyze the remodelling of actively contracting human ventricular heart. These models are built upon growing viscoelastic myocardium, with its growth direction being dynamically determined by its mechanical state at each individual time step. This feature makes our model particularly capable to capture the nuanced changes in myocardial structure over time and under various physiological conditions. In order to accurately represent these complex processes, we have taken an approach in decomposing the total deformation gradient. We divide it into two components: one that addresses mechanical-active changes and another that focuses on growth-related changes. The mechanical-active component is further subdivided into elastic, viscous, and active elements [1,2], thereby providing a comprehensive representation of various deformation modes within myocardial tissue. To ensure numerical stability during time integration, we employed a backward Euler integration scheme. This method guarantees unconditional stability while maintaining computational efficiency. Our developed model has been carefully designed to allow for both stretch-driven longitudinal (fibre) growth and stress-driven transverse (cross-fibre) growth within the myocardium. These two mechanisms play pivotal roles in determining how cardiac tissue adapts during development and pathological conditions. To test our approach's validity, we carried out two distinct simulations focusing on pathological ventricular remodelling scenarios. The first simulation explores two divergent types of remodelling seen in left ventricular models driven by hemodynamic overloads - this study aims at understanding how different loading conditions can lead to unique remodelling patterns within cardiac tissues. The second simulation investigates ventricular remodelling triggered by acute myocardial ischemia within a biventricular heart model - this scenario offers valuable insights into how ischemic events can impact tissue structure mechanics. Through these comprehensive simulations against pathological scenarios, our research provides substantial contributions towards understanding cardiac remodelling processes under varying physiological states. We believe our work has significant implications for improving patient care related to cardiovascular diseases by enhancing knowledge about cardiovascular biomechanics. In conclusion, our novel three-dimensional constitutive model represents an advanced platform for studying electro-visco-elastic-growth responses occurring within the myocardium. Our rigorous validation process against real-world pathological scenarios assures that this research lays down solid groundwork for future investigations into cardiac remodelling dynamics.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Publication statusAccepted/In press - 7 Nov 2023
Peer-reviewedNo

Conference

Title5th International Conference on Biomedical Technology
Abbreviated titleICBT 2023
Conference number5
Duration6 - 9 November 2023
Website
LocationCourtyard Hannover Maschsee
CityHannover
CountryGermany

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals