High fidelity blood flow in a patient-specific arteriovenous fistula

TL;DR

This paper presents a high-fidelity 3D blood flow simulation model for patient-specific arteriovenous fistulas using the lattice Boltzmann method, validated against clinical data, aiming to improve personalized treatment planning.

Contribution

It introduces a novel 3D simulation approach for blood flow in patient-specific fistulas, enabling better prediction and optimization of fistula placement for dialysis.

Findings

Validated simulation against clinical data

Demonstrated feasibility on whole forearm vasculature

Supports future integration of complex biophysics

Abstract

An arteriovenous fistula, created by artificially connecting segments of a patient's vasculature, is the preferred way to gain access to the bloodstream for kidney dialysis. The increasing power and availability of supercomputing infrastructure means that it is becoming more realistic to use simulations to help identify the best type and location of a fistula for a specific patient. We describe a 3D fistula model that uses the lattice Boltzmann method to simultaneously resolve blood flow in patient-specific arteries and veins. The simulations conducted here, comprising vasculatures of the whole forearm, demonstrate qualified validation against clinical data. Ongoing research to further encompass complex biophysics on realistic time scales will permit the use of human-scale physiological models for basic and clinical medicine.