Abstract
Myocardial infarction (MI), a type of cardiovascular disease, affects a significant proportion of people around the world. Traditionally, non-communicable chronic diseases were largely associated with aging populations in higher income countries. It is now evident that low- to middle-income countries are also affected and in these settings, younger individuals are at high risk. Currently, interventions for MI prolong the time to heart failure. Regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy have the potential to mitigate the effects of MI and to significantly improve the quality of life for patients. The main drawback with these therapies is that many of the injected cells are lost due to the vigorous motion of the heart. Great effort has been directed toward the development of scaffolds which can be injected alongside stem cells, in an attempt to improve retention and cell engraftment. In some cases, the scaffold alone has been seen to improve heart function. This study focuses on a synthetic polyethylene glycol (PEG) based hydrogel which is injected into the heart to improve left ventricular function following MI. Many studies in literature characterize PEG as a Newtonian fluid within a specified shear rate range, on the macroscale. The aim of the study is to characterize the flow of a 20 kDa PEG on the microscale, where the behavior is likely to deviate from macroscale flow patterns. Micro particle image velocimetry (μPIV) is used to observe flow behavior in microchannels, representing the gaps in myocardial tissue. The fluid exhibits non-Newtonian, shear-thinning behavior at this scale. Idealized two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of PEG flow in microchannels are then developed and validated using the μPIV study. The validated computational model is applied to a realistic, microscopy-derived myocardial tissue model. From the realistic tissue reconstruction, it is evident that the myocardial flow region plays an important role in the distribution of PEG, and therefore, in the retention of material.
Highlights
The prevalence of non-communicable diseases has risen significantly in the last few decades, and this has affected societies in a myriad of ways
The work presented in this study makes a contribution toward understanding how fluids flow in myocardial tissue, and thereby how fluids are lost from the myocardium, and presents a framework for further studies of this nature
Brikov et al who used 4 kDa polyethylene glycol (PEG), observed a similar phenomenon, they found that the viscosity began increasing at a higher shear rate [47]
Summary
The prevalence of non-communicable diseases has risen significantly in the last few decades, and this has affected societies in a myriad of ways. In low- and middle-income countries, cardiovascular and other non-communicable diseases tend to affect younger people who are economically active, and this has a negative impact on the general well-being of these nations [1, 2]. Recognition of these changing trends has led to various shifts in global health policy [3, 4]. From a healthcare management perspective, greater focus has been placed on prevention of lifestyle diseases, and on improved understanding of disease progression This has created an impetus for the development of appropriate solutions for long term management or mitigation of disease. Included in these conditions of interest is myocardial infarction (MI), more commonly known as heart attack [5]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
