Optimal vortex formation as an index of cardiac health
- 18 April 2006
- journal article
- Published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Vol. 103 (16), 6305-6308
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0600520103
Abstract
Heart disease remains a leading cause of death worldwide. Previous research has indicated that the dynamics of the cardiac left ventricle (LV) during diastolic filling may play a critical role in dictating overall cardiac health. Hence, numerous studies have aimed to predict and evaluate global cardiac health based on quantitative parameters describing LV function. However, the inherent complexity of LV diastole, in its electrical, muscular, and hemodynamic processes, has prevented the development of tools to accurately predict and diagnose heart failure at early stages, when corrective measures are most effective. In this work, it is demonstrated that major aspects of cardiac function are reflected uniquely and sensitively in the optimization of vortex formation in the blood flow during early diastole, as measured by a dimensionless numerical index. This index of optimal vortex formation correlates well with existing measures of cardiac health such as the LV ejection fraction. However, unlike existing measures, this previously undescribed index does not require patient-specific information to determine numerical index values corresponding to normal function. A study of normal and pathological cardiac health in human subjects demonstrates the ability of this global index to distinguish disease states by a straightforward analysis of noninvasive LV measurements.Keywords
This publication has 23 references indexed in Scilit:
- Starting flow through nozzles with temporally variable exit diameterJournal of Fluid Mechanics, 2005
- The role of optimal vortex formation in biological fluid transportProceedings Of The Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 2005
- Fluid entrainment by isolated vortex ringsJournal of Fluid Mechanics, 2004
- ‘Optimal’ vortex rings and aquatic propulsion mechanismsProceedings Of The Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 2004
- Diastolic mitral annular velocityduring the development of heart failureJournal of the American College of Cardiology, 2003
- A model for universal time scale of vortex ring formationPhysics of Fluids, 1998
- A universal time scale for vortex ring formationJournal of Fluid Mechanics, 1998
- Pitfalls in the Echo‐Doppler Assessment of Diastolic DysfunctionEchocardiography, 1993
- Some experimental studies of vortex ringsJournal of Fluid Mechanics, 1977
- Fluid mechanics of a model mitral valve and left ventricleCardiovascular Research, 1972