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Wave intensity analysis and the development of the reservoir–wave approach

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Abstract

The parameters of wave intensity analysis are calculated from incremental changes in pressure and velocity. While it is clear that forward- and backward-traveling waves induce incremental changes in pressure, not all incremental changes in pressure are due to waves; changes in pressure may also be due to changes in the volume of a compliant structure. When the left ventricular ejects blood rapidly into the aorta, aortic pressure increases, in part, because of the increase in aortic volume: aortic inflow is momentarily greater than aortic outflow. Therefore, to properly quantify the effects of forward or backward waves on arterial pressure and velocity (flow), the component of the incremental change in arterial pressure that is due only to this increase in arterial volume—and not, fundamentally, due to waves—first must be excluded. This component is the pressure generated by the filling and emptying of the reservoir, Otto Frank’s Windkessel.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Cardiac Sciences and Physiology & Pharmacology, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada

    John V. Tyberg & Jiun-Jr Wang

  2. Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, International Centre for Circulatory Health, St Mary’s Hospital Campus, London, UK

    Justin E. Davies, Darryl P. Francis & Alun D. Hughes

  3. Qingdao University Medical College Hospital, 266003, Qingdao, China

    Zhibin Wang

  4. Department of Medicine (Emeritus Professor), University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada

    William A. Whitelaw

  5. Stephanson Cardiovascular MR Centre, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada

    Jacqueline A. Flewitt

  6. Department of Civil Engineering, University of Calgary, 2500 University Ave. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada

    Nigel G. Shrive

  7. Physiological Flow Unit, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College, London, UK

    Kim H. Parker

Authors
  1. John V. Tyberg
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  2. Justin E. Davies
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  3. Zhibin Wang
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  4. William A. Whitelaw
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  5. Jacqueline A. Flewitt
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  6. Nigel G. Shrive
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  7. Darryl P. Francis
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  8. Alun D. Hughes
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  9. Kim H. Parker
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  10. Jiun-Jr Wang
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Correspondence to John V. Tyberg.

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Tyberg, J.V., Davies, J.E., Wang, Z. et al. Wave intensity analysis and the development of the reservoir–wave approach. Med Biol Eng Comput 47, 221–232 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-008-0430-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-008-0430-z

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