MATHEMATICAL MODELLING OF MEDICAL-BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS
Mechanical Behavior of Vein under Medical Compression Stocking. Preliminary Numerical Investigations
This work presents a numerical Finite Element Modeling of mechanical behavior of a human vein under influence of medical compression sock. The FE Model is developed in form of structural transient analysis by help of program product Ansys. The geometry of the vein and the muscle is assumed as an idealized, and consists of two coaxial cylinders. The stocking pressure is translated to the vein through the muscles contractions, surrounding tissues and the skin. Moreover, such a pressure and its variations, as well the position of the vein in the muscle environment, should also have influence on the functioning of venous valves and on the lymphatic system drainage. Because of preliminary character of this elaboration, these aspects are not discussed here.
The work set-up aims to establish principally how the stocking pressure loads the vein wall depending on different venous elasticity under given constant muscle elasticity.
The mechanical behavior of vein possessing elastic module E=30kPa and 100kPa is considered under stocking pressure Pst=25mmHg and 60.8mmHg and muscle tissue with elastic module Em=12kPa. The displacements in the vein and muscle with corresponded distributions of stress and strain states are identified in the both two elements.
It is concluded, that these two pressures induce similar stress values in the vein walls depending on the two venous elastic modules, correspondingly. Based on that, it is suggested that a 3-Dimensional space of the geometry, pressure and the elastic modules could be existed. In such a space, optimal patient-orientated values of the pressure depending on the geometrical sizes and elasticity should be available.