Numerical modeling of cardiovascular physiology study of dynamic changes during autonomic reflexes

Abstract

In this paper, we present a computational software to analyze simultaneous left ventricle (LV) pressure and volume measurements that takes full advantage of the single-beat method. LV pressure and volume data may be combined to construct pressure-volume (PV) loops, which enables the extraction of valuable parameters for LV and arterial physiologic function assessment, in particular LV systolic and diastolic performance, mechanical energies and efficiency. Using this software, we analyzed instantaneous and dynamic hemodynamic changes in vivo in rabbits during acute cardiovascular perturbations produced by 1) cardiac baroreflex, 2) arterial chemoreflex, and 3) von Bezold-Jarisch reflex. This paper reports results of this analysis.