AJP - Heart and Circulatory Physiology, Vol 259, Issue 1 101-H108, Copyright © 1990 by American Physiological Society

ARTICLES

Biaxial mechanical behavior of excised ventricular epicardium

J. D. Humphrey, R. K. Strumpf and F. C. Yin
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore 21228.

We present results from in vitro biaxial stress-strain experiments on epicardium excised from the right and left ventricular free walls of canine hearts. These data reveal that the biomechanical behavior of ventricular epicardium is qualitatively similar to atrial epicardium and parietal pericardium but different from noncontracting myocardium. In particular, ventricular epicardium exhibits a highly nonlinear stress-stretch behavior, being initially compliant but then very stiff near the limits of its extensibility. In addition, the epicardium appears to be initially isotropic but becomes markedly anisotropic upon rapid stiffening. Finally, specimens taken from the right and left ventricular free walls behaved similarly. We submit that excised ventricular epicardium is capable of carrying significant in-plane loads and that there is a need to investigate further its role in local and global cardiac mechanics and physiology.

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