High-fidelity model of the human heart: an immersed boundary implementation

Computer simulations of cardiovascular flows can be key to improving the predictingcapabilities of standard diagnostic tools, to refine surgical techniques and perform virtualtests of innovative prosthetic devices. The reliability of simulations, however, depends onthe fidelity level of the model, which, for the heart, involves the interconnected multi-physics dynamics of the various systems: the human heart is among the most complexorgans, and simulating its dynamics is an ambitious undertaking from both the modelingand computational viewpoints. In this paper we present a multiphysics computationalmodel of the human heart accounting simultaneously for the electrophysiology, the elasto-mechanics, and the hemodynamics, including their multiway coupled interactions referredto as fluid-structure-electro interaction (FSEI). The developed tool embodies accuracy,versatility, and computational efficiency, thus allowing cardiovascular simulations of phys-iologic and pathologic configurations within a time to solution compatible with the clinicalpractice and without resorting to large-scale supercomputers. Results are shown for healthyconditions and for myocardial infarction with the aim of assessing the reliability ofthe model and proving its predicting capabilities, which could be used to anticipate theoutcome of surgical procedures or support clinical decisions