Relationship between blood pressure and flow rate in arteries using a modified Windkessel model

Abstract

This study examined the flow rate in arteries using the modified Windkessel model, considering various models for blood pressure. An exact solution was derived using a Laplace transform method and the effects of blood pressure on the flow rate in an artery were examined. The effects of the flow resistance, arterial compliance, and inertia of blood on the flow rate were also investigated. The flow rate decreased with increasing inertia of the blood and flow resistance and decreasing arterial compliance. The height and position of the secondary peak were determined by a combination of the flow resistance, arterial compliance, and blood inertance. The results suggest that the risk of hypertension may increase with age because decreases in flow rate due to an increase in flow resistance and a decrease in arterial compliance were more substantial than the increase in flow rate caused by a decrease in blood inertance. The proposed method can provide information to examine how factors, such as aging, disease, and exercise, affect the flow rate in blood vessels.