Abstract
I-VED (In-Vivo Embolic Detector) is a novel diagnostic tool for non-invasive, real-time detection of bubbles in humans. Bubbles are precursors of decompression sickness (DCS), which can be encountered in astronauts, scuba divers, etc. I-VED exploits an EU patented electrical impedance spectroscopy technology, developed under the umbrella of a European Space Agency project. So far, I-VED has been calibrated and validated in vitro. In view of the forthcoming in-vivo trials, it needs to be configured for sensing bubbles in the bloodstream. For this, 3D computational fluid dynamics simulation is performed to investigate axial and radial variation of void fraction (α) and flow velocity (U) in a pulsatile bubbly flow inside a realistic human artery (diameter: 5–20 mm, implying vessel dilatation or contraction), where liquid velocity, bubble size, and void fraction resemble DCS conditions. Results show that U and α show a core-peaking profile despite the variation of artery diameter, while 3D sharp turns yield U and α non-uniformities in the angular direction that do not affect mean void fraction across the artery. Obtained knowledge allows deeper insight on the physics and spatial characteristics of bubbly flow in a real artery, which is useful in the design of measuring volume and tuning of I-VED.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are really thankful to Mr. Vangelis Skaperdas for his contribution in performing CFD simulations. This study was funded by ESA GSTP Project: In-Vivo Embolic Detector, I-VED - Contract No. 4000101764. The view expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Space Agency.
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Open access funding provided by HEAL-Link Greece.
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SE carried out the simulation, performed data analysis, and wrote the manuscript. TK coordinated and supervised the activities, took over the acquisition of financial support for the project, and reviewed the manuscript.
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Evgenidis, S.P., Karapantsios, T.D. 3D simulation of pulsatile bubbly flow resembling decompression sickness conditions inside a realistic human artery. Exp. Comput. Multiph. Flow 6, 135–139 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42757-023-0173-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42757-023-0173-y