Aortic Wave Dynamics and Its Influence on Left Ventricular Workload
2011
Aortic Waves and Left Ventricular Workload
publication
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Pahlevan Niema M., Gharib Morteza
Primary Institution: California Institute of Technology
Hypothesis
There exists a specific heart rate at which the external left ventricular (LV) power is minimized.
Conclusion
There is an optimum condition for aortic waves that minimizes the LV pulsatile load and consequently the total LV workload.
Supporting Evidence
- An increase in aortic rigidity leads to an increase in both the steady and pulsatile loads on the left ventricle.
- At higher aortic rigidities, the effect of pulsatile load becomes more dominant.
- There is an optimum heart rate that minimizes the pulsatile left ventricular power requirement.
Takeaway
The heart works best at a certain speed, and if the aorta is stiffer, that speed needs to be higher to keep the heart from working too hard.
Methodology
A computational model was used to explore the effects of heart rate and aortic rigidity on left ventricular power requirement.
Limitations
The model did not include the aortic arch and branches, which may affect wave reflections.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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