Work

Influence of ageing on human body blood flow and heat transfer: A detailed computational modelling study

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: Ageing plays a fundamental role in arterial blood transport and heat transfer within a human body. The aim of this work is to provide a comprehensive methodology, based on biomechanical considerations, for modelling arterial flow and energy exchange mechanisms in the body accounting for age-induced changes. The study outlines a framework for age-related modifications within several interlinked subsystems, which include arterial stiffening, heart contractility variations, tissue volume and property changes, and thermoregulatory system deterioration. Some of the proposed age-dependent governing equations are directly extrapolated from experimental data sets. The computational framework is demonstrated through numerical experiments, which show the impact of such age-related changes on arterial blood pressure, local temperature distribution, and global body thermal response. The proposed numerical experiments show that the age-related changes in arterial convection do not significantly affect the tissue temperature distribution. Results also highlight age-related effects on the sweating mechanism, which lead to a significant reduction in heat dissipation and a subsequent rise in skin and core temperatures.

Source: International Journal for Numerical Methods in Biomedical Engineering

DOI: 10.1002/cnm.3120

Authors: Alberto Coccarelli, Hayder M. Hasan, Jason Carson, Dimitris Parthimos, Perumal Nithiarasu

Institutions: Swansea University, Cardiff University

Language: English

Topic: Thermoregulation and physiological responses

Subfield: Physiology (medical)

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,783