Unravelling the physics of the pressure drop in blood flow constrictions (360G-Wellcome-209450_Z_17_Z)

A blood flow obstruction introduces an additional burden to the heart, currently characterised by the pressure drop through the obstruction. The pressure drop is only available through catheterised sensors, with associated costs and risks, or through Doppler echocardiography with limited accuracy and robustness. This programme investigates the causes of the additional cardiac burden in those conditions that experience an obstruction of the blood flow. The idea is to examine the physics of the blood flow and unravel the three components of the pressure drop (i.e. unsteady, advective and viscous). The enabling technology, to be further developed within the programme, combines advanced medical imaging and computational technologies. The goals are (1) to identify the pressure biomarkers that best predicts adverse events, and thus guide the optimal choice of therapy options; (2) to enable an easy, robust and non-invasive access to the key pressure biomarkers in clinical practice.