Mathematical modeling of blood flow through an eccentric catheterized artery

Abstract

The mathematical model of blood flow through a catheterized stenosed artery is considered. A catheter is a tube, which is used in medicine for patients who are bedridden and whose blood pressure needs to be measured and monitored continuously. An example is the use of catheter during X-ray angiography or coronary balloon angioplasty in cardiac patients. Inserting a catheter in an artery will alter some characteristics of blood flow. This project investigates the effect on blood flow characteristics such as the velocity, the wall shear stress, the resistance impedance and the streamlines when a catheter is inserted into a stenosed artery. The catheter and the artery are assumed to be in a co-axial and eccentric position while blood is assumed to be Newtonian. The governing Navier-Stokes equations are solved analytically using perturbation method. The results show that a catheter placed in an eccentric position does alter the blood flow characteristics such that the axial velocity and the wall shear stress distribution are higher while the resistance impedance values are lower compared to their values in an artery where the catheter is concentrically placed. It is also found that under the same situation, the position of trapping moves closer to the wall of the stenosis while the size of the trapped bolus increases.