Three-dimensional modeling and flow patterns determination in the left ventricle using computational fluid dynamics

A realistic model of the left ventricle of the heart was constructed using a cast from a dog heart. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the blood flow in the left ventricle in both systole and diastole and to understand what the effect of a previous cardiac cycle was on the next cardiac cycle. Runs done with an ejection fraction of 60% showed little variation from one cardiac cycle to another after the third cardiac cycle was completed; the maximum velocity could vary by over 30% between the first and second cardiac cycles. In systole, centerline and cross-sectional velocity vectors greatly increased in magnitude at the aortic outlet, and most of the pressure drop occurred in the top 15% of the heart. The diastolic phase showed complex vortex formation not seen in the systolic contractions.