Cardiovascular Flows: Pulsatility, Valve Dynamics, and Vascular Interaction

Dear Colleagues,

Recent research has refined the way in which pressure–volume (PV) loop physiology links to vascular mechanics and pulsatile flow. Advances in ventricular–arterial (VAC) coupling and non-invasive/single-beat PV estimates are expanding the clinical utility of PV-derived indices (Ees, Ea, stroke work) for left-ventricular assessment. Parallel progress targets the right ventricle (RV): new computational and computer-vision pipelines reconstruct RV PV loops from routine catheter or imaging data, improving RV-pulmonary arterial (RV–PA) coupling metrics. Valve-level research uses CFD and fluid–structure interaction (FSI) to connect leaflet dynamics, transcatheter valve performance, and downstream aortic flow patterns (WSS, helicity) that alter afterload and thus PV loop morphology. Finally, cross-disciplinary studies link arterial pulsatility to cerebrovascular and glymphatic flows, underscoring the systemic consequences of altered pulsatility/vascular stiffness on cardiac workload and PV-derived efficiency measures.

This Special Issue will advance the integration of pressure–volume (PV) loop physiology with contemporary fluid mechanics, emphasizing translational relevance across cardiovascular modeling and clinical diagnostics. We welcome contributions that refine non-invasive and single-beat PV loop estimation techniques, explore ventricular–arterial and right ventricular–pulmonary arterial coupling, and develop computational pipelines for PV loop reconstruction from routine imaging or catheter data. Studies employing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and fluid–structure interaction (FSI) to investigate valve dynamics, transcatheter valve performance, and downstream aortic flow patterns, such as wall shear stress and helicity, are of particular interest. Additionally, we encourage cross-disciplinary research linking arterial pulsatility to cerebrovascular and glymphatic flows, highlighting the systemic impact of vascular stiffness and altered pulsatility on cardiac workload and PV-derived efficiency metrics. This Special Issue will showcase novel methodologies and mechanistic insights that deepen our understanding of cardiovascular fluid dynamics and its clinical implications.

Dr. Filip Konecny
Guest Editor

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