CoronaryHemodynamics: An Automated Simulation Framework for Coronary Artery Hemodynamics Using OpenFOAM

TL;DR

CoronaryHemodynamics is an automated, OpenFOAM-based simulation framework that streamlines coronary artery hemodynamics analysis with physiological boundary conditions and comprehensive post-processing capabilities.

Contribution

It introduces an automated simulation pipeline with physiological boundary conditions support, enhancing efficiency and robustness for coronary hemodynamics studies.

Findings

Supports steady-state and transient simulations

Automates boundary condition setup from physiological data

Provides detailed post-processing outputs

Abstract

CoronaryHemodynamics is a comprehensive simulation package developed on the OpenFOAM platform, designed specifically for coronary artery hemodynamics analysis. The package integrates a complete suite of tools for simulation preparation, including automatic case setup, boundary condition configuration, computational domain meshing, and a CFD solver. It fully supports MPI parallelization, leveraging the native parallel computing capabilities of OpenFOAM. The package implements Windkessel boundary conditions at the aorta outlet and all coronary vessel outlets, with outlet parameters automatically derived from physiological metrics such as heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and myocardial volume. At the aorta inlet, a parabolic flow profile is applied based on the input flow rate waveform. CoronaryHemodynamics supports both steady-state and transient solvers, enabling the simulation of various flow conditions. Flow rate and pressure data are recorded at all boundaries during the simulation, and outputs such as wall shear stress, pressure fields, and velocity fields are automatically stored for detailed post-processing and analysis. By automating critical aspects of the simulation pipeline and integrating physiological boundary conditions, CoronaryHemodynamics offers an efficient and robust framework to study coronary hemodynamics in both research and clinical applications. The package can be found at https://github.com/alundilong/CoronaryHemodynamics.