Course detail

Biomechanics III - Cardiovascular

FSI-RBMAcad. year: 2026/2027

The course starts with basic medical information on structure of cardiovascular system. It deals with loads and mechanical properties of its organs and tissues, including blood and its rheological properties. Properties of tissues are analysed in relation to their structure, from layers and fibres to the level of individual cells, their structure and mechanical behaviour. The course further presents most frequent pathologies of cardio-vascular system, especially atherosclerosis and its dependence on mechanical factors. All the gained knowledge is applied in computational models of isolated cell, artery and heart chamber, created in ANSYS software, not only in stress-strain analyses but also in fluid-structure interactions between a tissue and a liquid (blood). 

Further, the course deals with technical fundamentals of therapeutic treatments and man-made replacements used at cardio-vascular system (vascular grafts, arterial stents, artificial heart valves, artificial heart pumps). The course deals with their technical principles, materials, production technology and basic requirements of biocompatibility.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

6

Assignment to study programme types

Master's

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

prof. Ing. Jiří Burša, Ph.D.

Department

Institute of Solid Mechanics, Mechatronics and Biomechanics (ÚMTMB)

Entry knowledge

Knowledge of basic terms of theory of elasticity and selected theories in the range of the course 5PP-A (stress, strain, general Hooke's law, membrane theory of shells, thick-wall cylindrical vessel). Description of mechanical properties of materials under large strains using hyperelastic constitutive models including anisotropic ones. Basic properties of Newtonian liquids (viscosity), theory of linear viscoelasticity. Fundamentals of FEM and basic handling of ANSYS system.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

Active participation in seminars, final project and its defence, test of basic theoretical knowledge.
Attendance at practical training is obligatory. An apologized absence can be compensed by individual projects controlled by the tutor.

Aims

The aim of the course is to provide basic general knowledge about properties of tissues in cardiovascular system and analyze in detail impact of their structure on mechanical behaviour. Students should get acquainted with computational models of heart and blood vessels at the level corresponding to the actual state of science and capabilites of the existing software. They also get familiar with treatments and implants applied in the cardio-vascular system and principles of their function and design.
Students will have a clear idea of basic biomechanical problems of cardiovascular system and of the implants used in it. They will be able to model these problems at the actual level of scientific knowledge and of technological equipment.

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

Ethier, Simmons: Introductory biomechanics. Cambridge University Press, 2007. (EN)
Fung: Biomechanics. Mechanical properties of living tissues.Springer, 1993. (EN)
Holzapfel G.A., Ogden R.W.: Biomechanics of soft tissue in cardiovascular system. Springer 2003. (EN)
Humphrey: Cardiovascular solid mechanics. Cells, Tissues and Organs.Springer, 2002. (EN)

Recommended reading

HOLIBKOVÁ, Alžběta a Stanislav LAICHMAN. Přehled anatomie člověka. 5. vyd. Olomouc: Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci, 2010. ISBN 978-80-244-2615-0. (CS)
Křen J., Rosenberg J., Janíček P.: Biomechanika. Vydavatelství ZČU, 1997. (CS)
Trojan S. , Schrieber M.: Atlas biologie člověka. Scientia, 2013 (CS)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme N-IMB-P Master's

    specialization BIO , 2 year of study, winter semester, compulsory

  • Programme C-AKR-P Lifelong learning

    specialization CZS , 1 year of study, winter semester, elective

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

26 hours, optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

Veronika Dzetkuličová, MSc, Ph.D.
Ing. Petr Hájek, Ph.D.
prof. Ing. Jiří Burša, Ph.D.

Syllabus

1. Introduction, contents of the course, mechanical properties of soft biological tissues and their experimental evaluation.
2. Fundamental medical information on cardiovascular system.
3. Mechanical properties of cells and their computational modelling.

4. Anatomy and physiology of myocardium.ECG, Starling's law, pressure-volume diagrams.

5. Anatomy, histology and physiology of blood vessels. Composition of blood vessel wall and its mechanical components. 

6. Arrangement of collagen fibres. Characteristics of flow in arteries, flow resistance.

7. Composition and rheological properties of blood, velocity profiles, Fahraeus-Lindqvist effect.
8. Theory of pulsatile flow, Moens-Korteweg equation, Womersley profiles.
9. Mechanical influence on atherosclerotic processes and principials of medical treatment. Arterial stents.
10. Vascular grafts (arterial replacements), types, properties, application, production.
11. Natural and artificial heart valves, principles of their function, overview of available products.
12. Ventricular assist devices and total artificial hearts.
13.Possibilities of computational modelling of cardiovascular system

Computer-assisted exercise

13 hours, compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

prof. Ing. Jiří Burša, Ph.D.
Ing. Anna Hrubanová
Ing. Petr Hájek, Ph.D.

Syllabus

1.-2. FE model of animal cell.
3.-4. FE model of left ventricle. 
5.-6. FE model of aorta, residual stress.
7.-8. Evaluation of residual stress in arteral wall using volume growth (fictitious temperature) method. 
9.-10. Experiment - pulsatile flow in elastic tube.
11.-12.  FSI simulation of blood flow in arteries.
13. Course-unit credit.