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Wave Speed and Characteristic Impedance

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Snapshots of Hemodynamics

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Wave speed, c, and characteristic impedance, Z c , are two important vessel parameters determining its wave transmission and reflection properties. These two quantities can be derived from so-called wave transmission theory, in analogy to what happens in telegraph lines, or antenna cables, for the transmission of electromagnetic waves. The characteristic impedance Z c = √ Z l ′ Z t ′, with Z l ′ and Z t ′ the longitudinal and transverse impedance per length as given in Appendix 3. For large vessels like the aorta (large Womersley’s α) is Z c = √ Z l ′ Z t ′ = √ L′/C A = √ρΔP/ΔA·A,

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Physiology and Pulmonology ICaR-VU, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

    Nicolaas Westerhof

  2. Laboratory of Hemodynamics and Cardiovascular Technology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Nikolaos Stergiopulos

  3. Cardiovascular Medicine, Aberdeen University, Aberdeen, Scotland

    Mark I. M. Noble

Authors
  1. Nicolaas Westerhof
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  2. Nikolaos Stergiopulos
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  3. Mark I. M. Noble
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Correspondence to Nicolaas Westerhof .

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Westerhof, N., Stergiopulos, N., Noble, M.I.M. (2010). Wave Speed and Characteristic Impedance. In: Snapshots of Hemodynamics. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6363-5_34

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6363-5_34

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