Biophysical modeling of wave propagation phenomena: experimental determination of pulse wave velocity in viscous fluid-filled elastic tubes in a gravitation field.

Biophysical understanding of arterial hemodynamics plays an important role in proper medical diagnosis and investigation of cardiovascular disease pathogens. One of the major cardiovascular parameters is pulse wave velocity (PWV), which depends on the mechanical properties of the arterial wall. The PWV contains information on the condition of the cardiovascular system as well as its physiological age. In humans and most animals, blood flow through the blood vessels is affected by several internal and external forces. The most influencing external force on blood flow is gravity. In the upright position of the body, blood moves from heart to head, opposite to gravity, and from the heart to the legs, in direction of the gravitational force. To investigate how gravity affects PWV, we have developed a biophysical model of cardiovascular system that simulates blood flow in the upright position of the body. The paper presents the results of measurement of PWV in an elastic tube filled with fluids of different viscosities in the gravitational field.