Key result
A four-chamber heart model with fluid-structure interaction demonstrated that free valve annular dynamics improve early diastolic ventricular filling and atrial emptying.
Why the study?
Many existing whole-heart computational models focus on electromechanics without physiological valves, relying instead on simplified fluid models.
This study provides a comprehensive multi-physics whole-heart computational modeling framework that incorporates all heart valves and fluid-structure interactions to better simulate cardiac mechanics and hemodynamics.
Should not yet inform clinical valve assessment; leaves open incorporation of annular dynamics in whole-heart models.
Computational modelling of whole-heart function is a useful tool to study heart mechanics and haemodynamics. Many existing heart models focus on electromechanical aspect without considering physiological valves and use simplified fluid models instead. In this study we develop a four-chamber heart model featuring realistic chamber geometry, detailed valve modelling, hyperelasticity with fibre architecture and fluid–structure interaction analysis. Our model is used to investigate heart behaviours with different modelling assumptions including restricted/free valve annular dynamics, and with/without heart-pericardium interactions. Our simulation results capture the interactions between valve leaflet and surrounding flow, typical left ventricular flow vortices, typical venous and transvalvular flow waveform, and physiological heart deformations such as atrioventricular plane movement. The improvement of ventricular filling and atrial emptying at early diastole is evident with free annulus. In addition, we find that the added pericardial forces on the heart have a predominant effect on atrial wall deformation especially during atrial contraction, and further help with the atrial filling process. Most importantly, the current study provides a framework for comprehensive multi-physics whole-heart modelling considering all heart valves and fluid–structure interactions.
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Feng et al. (2024) studied Heart mechanics and haemodynamics. Four-chamber heart model with fluid-structure interaction vs. Models with restricted valve annular dynamics or without heart-pericardium interactions was evaluated on Heart behaviours including valve leaflet interactions, flow vortices, and deformations. A four-chamber heart model with fluid-structure interaction demonstrated that free valve annular dynamics improve early diastolic ventricular filling and atrial emptying.
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