Cardiovascular Modeling in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Focus on Mechanisms and Treatment of Right Heart Failure Using the CircAdapt Model

In recent years, increased understanding of cardiovascular system dynamics has led to the development of mathematical models of the heart and circulation. Models that enable realistic simulation of ventricular mechanics and interactions under a range of conditions have the potential to provide an ideal method with which to investigate the effects of pulmonary arterial hypertension and its treatment on cardiac mechanics and hemodynamics. Such mathematical models have the potential to contribute to a personalized, patient-specific treatment approach and allow more objective diagnostic decision-making, patient monitoring, and assessment of treatment outcome. This review discusses the development of mathematical models of the heart and circulation, with particular reference to the closed-loop CircAdapt model, and how the model performs under both normal and pathophysiological (pulmonary hypertensive) conditions.