The cardiac wall has complex three-dimensional fiber structures and mechanical properties that enable the heart to efficiently pump the blood through the body. By studying the myocardial strains induced during diastole, information about the pumping performance of the heart and what mechanisms that are responsible for this effective blood filling, can be achieved. Two different [...]
The influence of Ca2+ and Nitroprusside on the opening kinematics of the mitral valve
During a cardiac cycle the cardiac walls change between contracted and relaxed and the valves open and close in response to pressure changes. This master thesis is a study of the changes in heart movement pattern caused by intravenous injections of Ca2+ or Nitroprusside. At Stanford University radiopaque markers have been surgically implanted in the [...]