Left ventricular compliance pumping and arterial system wave reflection

The effects of wave reflection alone on aortic pressure and flow were studied using an arterial system model coupled to a time-varying compliance model of the left ventricle. A reflectionless system was obtained while retaining the dc characteristics of the system. This allowed for the qualitative study of the effects of wave reflections on aortic pressure and flow. We find that in a system with reflections, diastolic pressure is decreased, allowing earlier ejection and higher peak flow. For the reflectionless case, the flow pulse is broader but stroke volume and mean aortic pressure remain the same.