Personalized Multiscale Cardiovascular Model for Patient-Specific Circulation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current models of whole-body circulation are overly simplified, process-intensive, and inaccurate, failing to effectively assist in clinical settings for patient-specific cardiac disease evaluation and therapy planning.

Innovation Solution

A personalized multiscale computational model of the cardiovascular system is developed using medical images and signals, incorporating full-scale or reduced-order cardiac electromechanics coupled with whole-body circulation models to estimate and calculate dynamics, allowing for patient-specific parameter personalization and simulation of physiological and pathophysiological characteristics.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If current simplified models of whole-body circulation are used, then the modeling process is less intensive, but the accuracy and patient-specific relevance deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemodeling process simplicityVSAvoidcirculation parameter accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The cardiovascular system is segmented into multiple compartments (systemic circulation, pulmonary circulation, heart chambers) with distinct parameters for each, allowing the model to capture complex physiological behavior while maintaining computational tractability through modular structure

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The model transforms fixed, generic circulation parameters into dynamic, patient-specific parameters by incorporating real-time measurements of blood pressure, flow rates, and cardiac output, enabling accurate personalization without requiring complete model reconstruction

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If generic circulation models are used, then patient-specific physiology is not reflected, but the model complexity and personalization requirements are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepatient-specific physiology representationVSAvoidmodel personalization complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Patient-specific anatomical and physiological parameters are pre-measured and stored in a database before circulation modeling, allowing the model to be quickly personalized by retrieving and applying these pre-collected data without complex real-time measurements

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The model creates a virtual copy of the patient's cardiovascular system using measured anatomical dimensions and physiological parameters, enabling accurate simulation of patient-specific circulation dynamics without requiring direct intervention in the patient's system

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Reliability

If process-intensive modeling approaches are used, then comprehensive circulation parameters can be calculated, but the computational time and resource requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecirculation evaluation comprehensivenessVSAvoidmodeling computation efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The circulation model is updated periodically using intermittent measurements rather than continuous computation, calculating comprehensive circulation parameters at key physiological moments (e.g., cardiac cycle phases) to maintain reliability while reducing overall computational burden

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

Complex fluid dynamics computations are replaced with equivalent electrical circuit analogies for circulation modeling, substituting mechanical blood flow calculations with simpler electrical current and voltage analogs that yield equivalent results with reduced computational complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentEP3043276B1Personalized whole-body circulation in medical imaging
Publication Date: 2020.03.11 SIEMENS HEALTHCARE GMBH
  • EP3043276B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3043276B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3043276B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

Personalized whole-body circulation calculation is provided. In one embodiment, a combination of models at different scales and machine learning may be used to personalize and calculate the circulation for a particular patient. In another embodiment, imaging, ECG, and pressure data are used to personalize a multi-scale whole body circulation model. Different parameters, such as (but not limited to) time-varying flow rate for the heart, pressure variation for the heart, cardiovascular systemic impedance, and cardiovascular pulmonary impedance, are determined for the patient and used to personalize the model. The model is then used to determine, visualize, or report a diagnostically or therapeutically useful circulation metric for that patient.