Computer model of ventricular interaction during left ventricular circulatory support.

The authors used a computer model of the heart and circulation to test the hypothesis that anatomic ventricular interactions are responsible for the observed instances of right ventricular failure during use of a left ventricular assist device. The model predicts that left ventricular pressure-unloading with a LVAD, in the presence of isolated systolic interaction, results in impairment of RV function, whereas with isolated diastolic interaction, RV function is improved. Due to competition between these two interactions, there is a negligible overall effect of ventricular anatomic interactions in determining right ventricular function in the normal heart.