Mechanical simulation model of the systemic circulation

• Modelling and simulation of systemic circulation.
• Model development with commercial software widely used for hydraulic simulations.
• Validation of an hydraulic circuit using conversion parameters.
• Systematic method for the model’s validation presented.
• Simulation of the system under different and realistic cardiac conditions.

The simulation of different physiological systems is very useful as a pedagogical tool, allowing a better understanding of the mechanisms and the functions thereof. Thus, the observation of physiological phenomena through mechanical simulators represents a great asset. Furthermore, the development of these simulators allows for the reinterpretation of physiological systems. The cardiovascular system is one of the most important systems of the human body and has been the target of several biomedical studies. The present work describes a computational approach for a mechanical model of the systemic circulation, capable of reproducing with high accuracy the physiological haemodynamic function. The model was developed in the Automation Studio™ software. Despite this software is widely used in hydraulic and electro-hydraulic conventional simulations – among others, as pneumatics simulations, industrial controllers behaviour simulations – it is not commonly used for physiological functions. Therefore, this work represents a step ahead in physiological simulations, once the different cardiac conditions were simulated with flexibility, versatility and accuracy in a current and accessible commercial software. The model allows the individual alteration of the vascular parameters, the simulation of various physiological conditions, as well as the construction of pressure-blood flow curves in various components of the system. This work also presents a systematic method for the model validation, allowing simulating the system under any operating conditions. This modelling will allow for the extrapolation of the virtual hydraulic system to a physical model, which should lead an improvement in understanding the behaviour of the physiological system.