A computational method for developing hierarchical large deformation viscoelastic models of the contracting heart

In this study, a new computational method for modelling the contracting heart is described. Using this method, the cardiac wall is constructed from basic, repeating contractile units that represent individual myocardial units and collagen, each with its own set of parameters, including orientation, passive and active behaviour and stimulation propagation. The method allows individual control of each structural unit (e.g. at the level of a single myocardial unit). Feasibility of modelling dynamic heart contraction using this method is demonstrated using 2D cross-sections and simplified 3D geometries. Effects of non-contractile scar and myopathic tissue were also tested in these geometrical configurations. Results from the 2D and 3D simulations were, overall, in agreement with well-established physiological data. The present method holds promise for modelling complex heart pathologies, abnormal mechanical properties (e.g. myocardial infarcts) and electrical conduction properties (branch blocks), and their spatial distributions across the myocardial tissues.