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Medical Products Inspired by Biological Oscillators: Intermittent Pneumatic Compression and the Microcirculation

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Physics of Biological Oscillators

Part of the book series: Understanding Complex Systems ((UCS))

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Abstract

To sustain life oxygen must be transported from the lungs to the heart and then out to the trillions of cells that make up the human body. This process is dependent upon many oscillatory systems that exquisitely respond to the fluctuating needs of each cell. The interplay between these systems that oscillate between an active and passive state provides the unique balance of a healthy life. To circulate blood to each cell in the body there is an intricate network of vessels. Blood leaves the heart through a ~2 cm diameter aorta and branches down to <10 µm capillaries at a cellular level before returning to the heart through the venae cavae. In these non-rigid vessels haemodynamic regulation is controlled by complex oscillatory systems that determine the resistance of vessels and therefore the local blood flow. These mechanisms are also supported by the presence of valves that ensure venous return and cyclical muscle pumps such as in the foot and calf that aid the circulation whilst walking. However, inadequate circulation can arise from the narrowing of vessels such as atherosclerosis, diseases such diabetes, incompetent valves and lack of mobility. This chapter reviews how medical products have been developed to enhance circulation including microcirculation, through the external application of intermittent pneumatic compression.

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  1. Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Science, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK

    Clare Thorn & Angela Shore

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  1. Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK

    Aneta Stefanovska

  2. Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK

    Peter V. E. McClintock

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Thorn, C., Shore, A. (2021). Medical Products Inspired by Biological Oscillators: Intermittent Pneumatic Compression and the Microcirculation. In: Stefanovska, A., McClintock, P.V.E. (eds) Physics of Biological Oscillators. Understanding Complex Systems. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59805-1_25

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