Research project: Modelling electromechanical interaction of myocardium and coronary circulation for investigation of cardiovascular diseases

Myocardial ischemia, or heart attack, occurs when a portion of cardiac muscle or myocardium does not receive significant amount of oxygenated blood, causing the heart to pump inefficiently. This oxygenated blood is supplied via a network of coronary circulation. Coronary blockage can occur due to atherosclerosis depleting the myocardium from receiving ample oxygen. Using computational model, the impact of abnormal coronary condition on myocardial function can be investigated. Similarly, changes in myocardial motion, via abnormal electrical activation, can be modelled to study impact on coronary flow due to cross-talk between the structures. Using previously developed cardiac multiphysics framework, a coronary model can be included to study the impacts of abnormal electrical activation in the presence of pathology such as left bundle-branch block (LBBB) or intervention such as cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and stent.