Prediction of arterial input impedance spectrum by an asymmetric T‐tube model terminated with an opportune complex load

Abstract

Abstract Arterial impedance is determined by physical properties of blood and vessel walls. Such factors include the blood viscosity and density, the wall viscoelasticity, and the vessel diameter. To account for wave transmission and reflection properties in arterial systems, an asymmetric T‐tube model, which consists of two uniform, viscoelastic tubes of different lengths representing the upper and lower extremities, is provided to simulate the arterial impedance spectrum. Each terminal complex load is a revised windkessel with compliance as well as resistance and inductance. Using representative data from the literature, parametric analysis shows that when peripheral compliances are increased, small moduli in the low frequency portions of the impedance spectra are produced, whereas alterations of either the characteristic impedances or inductances of the terminations have little effect on input impedance. The result of small moduli in the low frequency portions of the impedance spectrum associated with ...