Investigation of mechanical cardiorespiratory interactions through combined structural and functional modelling

Mechanical interplay between the adjacent ventricles is one of the principal modulators of physiopathological heart function, and the underlying mechanisms of interaction are only partially understood. In order to characterize the influence of chamber geometry on ventricular coupling, the ventricles and septum are modeled as portions of ellipsoidal shells, and configuration is derived as a function of pressure gradients. Diastolic volume (v) surfaces are calculated as a function of pressure (p), contralateral pressure (clp) and intrathoracic pressure (pt) and match literature data where available. Ventricular interaction is characterized in terms of partial derivatives in v-p-clp-pt space both under physiological and simulated pathological conditions. Inclusion of such interaction coefficients in a lumped parameter model of the circulatory system allows haemodynamic analysis of ventricular interplay in a variety of physiopathological circumstances.