Open Access
PROCEEDINGS
Fluid-Structure Interaction in Arterial Network and Implications for Blood Pressure Measurement– A Numerical Study
Peishuo Wu1, Chi Zhu1,2,*
1 Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
2 Nanchang Innovation Institute, Peking University, Nanchang, 330008, China
* Corresponding Author: Chi Zhu. Email:
The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences 2023, 25(1), 1-2. https://doi.org/ 10.32604/icces.2023.09869
Abstract
Central blood pressure, i.e., the blood pressure near the heart, is an important physiological indicator of the
cardiovascular function of a patient. However, direct measurement of this quantity is rarely carried out due
to the invasive nature of the procedure. Instead, blood pressure at the arm (brachial artery) measured
through an inflatable cuff is commonly used to represent or estimate the central blood pressure. On the
other hand, the aortic pressure propagates downstream in the form of pulse waves, which have to pass
through a complex and compliant vascular network to reach the brachial artery. Therefore, the efficacy of
cuff-measured pressure is still under clinical debate, which is partially stemmed from a lack of understand
of the physics implicated in the propagation process. In this study, we theoretically explore the effectiveness
of the cuff measurement in evaluating central blood pressure through fluid-structure interaction
simulations. We employ a patient-specific arterial tree in the upper limb and apply physiologically-accurate
boundary conditions, including inlet flow rate and three-element Windkessel outlet conditions. The fluidstructure interaction is modeled using the coupled momentum method. The spatial variation of the material
property and thickness of the vessel wall is taken into consideration, and we investigate the influence of
several popular vascular material models on the pressure wave propagation. We also develop an analytical
model to provide further insights into the fluid-structure interaction. The results show that the vascular
diameter variation and the choice of vascular material model have a great impact on the pulse wave
propagation; the analytical model is in great agreement with the numerical results and can be used to
calibrate the difference between the cuff-measured pressure and the central blood pressure. This study can
potentially provide a theoretical basis for the development of more accurate non-invasive blood pressure
measurement methods.
Keywords
Cite This Article
APA Style
Wu, P., Zhu, C. (2023). Fluid-structure interaction in arterial network and implications for blood pressure measurement– a numerical study. The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, 25(1), 1-2. https://doi.org/ 10.32604/icces.2023.09869
Vancouver Style
Wu P, Zhu C. Fluid-structure interaction in arterial network and implications for blood pressure measurement– a numerical study. Int Conf Comput Exp Eng Sciences . 2023;25(1):1-2 https://doi.org/ 10.32604/icces.2023.09869
IEEE Style
P. Wu and C. Zhu, "Fluid-Structure Interaction in Arterial Network and Implications for Blood Pressure Measurement– A Numerical Study," Int. Conf. Comput. Exp. Eng. Sciences , vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 1-2. 2023. https://doi.org/ 10.32604/icces.2023.09869