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Due to the close proximity of the heart and lungs within a closed chest environment, we expect breathing to affect various cardiac performance parameters and hence cardiac output. We present an integrative approach to study heart-lung interactions, combining a mathematical formulation of the circulation system with imaging techniques using echo-planar magnetic resonance imaging (EPI) and dynamic x-ray CT (EBCT). We hypothesize that appropriate synchronization of mechanical ventilation to cardiac-cycle specific events can improve cardiac function, i.e. stroke volume (SV) and cardiac output (CO). Computational and experimental results support the notion that heart-lung interaction, leading to altered cardiac output associated with inspiration/expiration, is not directly associated with lung inflation/deflation and thus is felt to be more influenced by pleural pressure changes. The mathematical model of the circulation demonstrates the importance of cardiac-cycle specific timing of ventilation on cardiac function and matches with experimentally observed relationships found in animal models studied via EBCT and human studies using EPI. Results show that positive pressure mechanical ventilation timed to systolic events may increase SV and CO by up to 30%, mainly by increased filling of the ventricles during diastole. Similarly, negative pressure (spontaneous) respiration has its greatest effect on ventricular diastolic filling. Cardiac-gated mechanical ventilation may provide sufficient cardiac augmentation to warrant further investigation as a minimally-invasive technique for temporary cardiac assist. Through computational modeling and advanced imaging protocols, we were able to uniquely study heart-lung interactions within the intact milieu of the never-invaded thorax.
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