Hemodynamics

Hemodynamics is the study of blood flow and the forces governing circulation. It describes how pressure, flow, and vascular resistance interact across the cardiovascular system.

Blood pressure: The force exerted by circulating blood against the walls of blood vessels. Pressure differences between regions drive blood through the circulation.
Fluid dynamics: The study of how liquids and gases move and interact with forces. Hemodynamics applies fluid-dynamic principles to blood and the cardiovascular system.
Pulmonary artery catheter: A catheter advanced into the pulmonary artery to measure pressures and estimate cardiac function. Its measurements provide invasive estimates of cardiac output and filling pressures.
Atherosclerosis: A disease in which plaques containing lipids and inflammatory material accumulate in artery walls. Plaques narrow arteries and alter local pressure and flow patterns.
Hemodynamics versus rheology: The study of blood's deformation and flow properties, including the behavior of its cells and plasma. Hemodynamics tracks circulation at the system level; hemorheology focuses on blood as a material.
Vascular resistance: The opposition blood encounters as it flows through blood vessels. Resistance determines how much flow a given pressure gradient produces.
Viscosity: A fluid's resistance to deformation and flow. Blood viscosity changes the resistance encountered within vessels.
Echocardiography: Medical imaging that uses ultrasound to show the heart's structure and motion. Doppler echocardiography estimates blood-flow speed and pressure gradients.
Aortic stenosis: Narrowing of the aortic valve opening that obstructs blood leaving the left ventricle. The narrowed valve creates a pressure gradient between the ventricle and aorta.
Turbulent flow: Irregular fluid motion with fluctuating velocities and enhanced mixing. It departs from the orderly-flow assumptions behind basic resistance equations.

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