This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Keywords: fluid-solid interaction, finite element, anisotropy, nonlinear, probabilistic Abstract: For many years scientists have developed finite element models of the most complex systems on this planet. This has enable finite element analysis to become a well-accepted tool in product development and other research needs. To-date few groups have focused on the develoment of an advanced model of the heart. Such a model would be useful to analyze new medical diagnostics procedures, surgical interventions, changes in environment/function such as ischemia, hypertension, conduction abnormalities, microgravity... We propose to develop a sophisticated finite element model of the right and left ventricle, allowing us to analyze a wide range of (ab)normal physiological conditions and clinical procedures. The fluid-solid interaction model will include a nonlinear hyperelastic anisotropic strain energy function representing the passive properties of cardiac tissue. A probabilistic model will be included describing the active cross bridging kinetics of cardiac myocytes. This constitutive framework will be defined within a realistic 3-dimensional fiber architectural model of both right and left ventricles. The addition of a Newtonian fluid and both valves (mitral an aortic) will lead to one of the world's most comprehensive ventricular and fluid and solid mechanicis models. Due to the complexity/non-linearity of fluid-solid coupled model and the size of the computational mesh (+50,000 elements) extensive hardware resources are required to resolve the problem in a timely manner. It is estimated that 7 days of computing time and 5Gb of RAM memory are required for a single analysis using 16cpu-parallel solver (estimated equivalent of ~3,000 SU on Jonas). This clearly illustrates the significance of developing a detailed finite element model of the left ventricle and its impact on cardiovascular research. However, such a model exceeds the abilities of current abilities of Linux workstations, and therefore high-tech resources (PSC supercomputers) are required to guarantee successful completion of the project at hand within an acceptable time frame.
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