Development of a growth model of the fetal cardiovascular system

Computational models have been widely employed to facilitate the study of the cardiovascular system. They represent organs and vessels by distinct compartments, characterized by a set of ordinary differential equations relating blood flow and pressures. They allow to:

  • Extract parameters without invasive procedures.
  • Simulate changes in any part of the cardiovascular system to analyze and quantify their contribution to pathologies.
  • Personalize the model to a patient to optimize their treatment and predict their response.

The aim of this thesis is to enhance our current computational model of the fetal cardiovascular system by including a growth component, which can provide a more precise means for monitoring individual fetal growth and improve the detection of growth abnormalities. This will be done in collaboration with obstetricians from Hospital Sant Joan de Déu and Maternitat de Barcelona, who will provide real clinical data.

Requisites:

  • Python and Matlab programming.
  • Basic knowledge of cardiac physiology.

References:

  • Villanueva, M. I., López, M., Sánchez, S., Garcia-Cañadilla, P., Randanne, P. C., Hawkins, A., Eixarch, E., Bonet-Carne, E., Gratacós, E., Crispi, F., Bijnens, B., & Bernardino, G. (2022). Haemodynamic Changes in the Fetal Circulation Post-connection to an Artificial Placenta: A Computational Modelling Study. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (Including Subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics), 13593 LNCS, 46–55. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-23443-9_5.
  • Garcia-Canadilla, P., Crispi, F., Cruz-Lemini, M., Triunfo, S., Nadal, A., Valenzuela-Alcaraz, B., Rudenick, P. A., Gratacos, E., & Bijnens, B. H. (2015). Patient-specific estimates of vascular and placental properties in growth-restricted fetuses based on a model of the fetal circulation. Placenta, 36(9), 981–989. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.placenta.2015.07.130.
  • F.H. Bloomfield, Ana-Mishel Spiroski, J.E. Harding (2013). Fetal growth factors and fetal nutrition. Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, 18(3), 118-123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.siny.2013.03.003.

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