Measurement of turbulence intensity in the center of the canine ascending aorta with a hot-film anemometer.

The blood flow velocity near the central axis of the canine ascending aorta was measured with a hot-film anemometer. The cardiac output and the heart rate were controlled at will by means of an extracorporeal circulation and by atrial pacing. The turbulent component of the blood flow velocity was calculated using an ensemble average technique. Ensemble average turbulent intensity was also calculated to show the time course of turbulence in the aorta. The ratio of the mean turbulence intensity to the time mean sectional average velocity in the aorta was constant in most animals regardless of the changes in fluid mechanical parameters. The correlation between the frequency parameter and the relative mean turbulence intensity was weakly positive. The power spectrum of the turbulence was also calculated.