A review of multiscale 0D–1D computational modeling of coronary circulation with applications to cardiac arrhythmias

Abstract

Computational hemodynamics is becoming an increasingly important tool in clinical applications and surgical procedures involving the cardiovascular system. Aim of this review is to provide a compact summary of state of the art 0D–1D multiscale models of the arterial coronary system, with particular attention to applications related to cardiac arrhythmias, whose effects on the coronary circulation remain so far poorly understood. The focus on 0D–1D models only is motivated by the competitive computational cost, the reliability of the outcomes for the whole cardiovascular system, and the ability to directly account for cardiac arrhythmias. The analyzed studies show that cardiac arrhythmias by their own are able to promote significant alterations of the coronary hemodynamics, with a worse scenario as the mean heart rate (HR) increases. The present review can stimulate future investigation, both in computational and clinical research, devoted to the hemodynamic effects induced by cardiac arrhythmias on the coronary circulation.