Blood pulsatile effect on LDL mass transport in a multilayered carotid artery with atherosclerotic plaques

Lipid solutes in blood such as Low-Density Lipoproteins (LDLs) are the major cause of most cardiovascular diseases. Increase of fatty materials in the blood flow endanger personal healthiness and enhance possibility of cardio and cerebrovascular infarctions. In order to provide nutritional blood for different tissues، heart sends pulsatile flow with high pressure to the circulatory system such that LDL particles spread over the entire body. Contraction and expansion of the heart create pulsatile flow that affect blood hemodynamics and LDL mass transfer in vessels. In this paper، effects of the pulsatile flow on LDL mass transport in a multilayered artery with atherosclerotic plaques are investigated numerically. In order to apply pulsatile flow in the artery، a set of specific-person flow and pressure pulses، which are resulted from the ultrasound method، are employed directly. Results indicate that pulsatile flow increases LDL concentration both on the luminal surface and across arterial layers and produces interesting periodic concentration patterns in these regions. Moreover، pulsatile effect intensifies remarkable reversal flow right at post-stenotic regions of plaques locations، where the flow is recirculated naturally، and lowers LDL accumulation.