Future Clinical Directions in Cardiovascular Hemodynamics

Atherosclerotic plaques are region and site-specific lesions. The localization of occlusive lesions have long established that hemodynamic forces, not strictly biochemical stimuli, are providing the pre-inflammatory insult which triggers mechanotransduction and drive forward the cascade of events which evolve to a rupture-prone lesion.

The blood is a large vigorous organ: 3-4 times larger by volume than the brain and 2-3 times larger than the liver. Numerous disease states will be impacted by monitoring and controlling blood flow parameters, especially blood viscosity, because this biophysical parameter directly determines systemic microperfusion. The delivery of oxygen and nutrients as well as the removal of carbon dioxide and wastes at every organ and tissue in the body are critically dependent on the viscosity of blood.