Biomechanics of the cardiovascular system

Introduction
Physics of living matter and biomedical engineering; anatomy and physiology of the cardiovascular system
Biophysics of the blood
Blood rheology; mechanical properties of red blood cells.
Cardiac mechanics
Mechanical activity of the heart; biomechanics of the cardiac muscle; Pressure-volume diagram; Frank-Starling laws of the heart; Varying elastance principle; Pump function graphs; Cardiac energetics; Arterio-ventricular coupling; Windkessel effect.
Hemodynamics and biomechanics of the arterial system
Structure, passive and active mechanical properties of the arterial wall; pulsatile blood flow in a rigid tube, model of Womersley; propagation of pressure and flow waves in an elastic tube; reflection and attenuation of waves in arteries; physical models of the arterial system; blood-vessel wall interactions.
Microcirculation
Hemodynamics in capillaries; exchange of substances and liquids across the capillary wall.
Biomechanics of the venous system
Biomechanics of the venous wall; flow in collapsible tubes; "Waterfall" phenomenon.