Linear Model of Blood Flow

Abstract

It is common to regard the cardiovascular system as comprising a pump, and a set of pipes carrying a fluid. The system of blood vessels have different characteristics that help them to efficiently meet the needs of circulation. Under pathological conditions the vessels may become stiffer and less compliant, they may become smaller due to deposits on the inner surface, etc., all of which reduce the effectiveness of the cardiovascular system in transporting blood. An analogy can be drawn between fluid carrying pipes and electrical circuits. The advantage of the electrical analogy is two fold; first a simple linear system model can be developed for numerical simulation, and second an actual electrical circuit can be built to demonstrate the analogous flow of fluid in a complex network of pipes; even numerical simulation of electrical analogues is aided by the availability of sophisticated circuit simulation programs. Simulation of the vascular system using this model permits study of certain diseases like atherosclerosis and hypertension.