Cardiovascular Fluid Mechanics Principles

This course covers the fundamental principles of cardiovascular fluid mechanics, focusing on the concepts of viscoelasticity, flow bifurcation, pulsatile flow, and flow in rigid and elastic tubes. For instance, students learn how blood behaves as both a Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid under different conditions, and how it flows from the heart through aorta and further bifurcates into smaller arteries. The course also delves into the mathematical representation of pulsatile flow, using concepts like Fourier series and Womersley number. Furthermore, the course explores the concept of flow in rigid and elastic tubes, discussing the importance of the Womersley number, the calculation of flow rate and wall shear stress, and the concept of viscous impedance. The course concludes with an explanation of the relationship between pressure and flow rate, and the effect of tube flexibility on the channel radius or the flow rate through the channel.

This course has been developed by Dr. Raghvendra Gupta from IIT Guwahati for NPTEL. It is now accessible through Ansys Innovation Space courtesy of the partnership between Ansys and NPTEL, under the CC BY-SA license. For more details, visit https://nptel.ac.in/courses/103103133.