Heart Twin for Space Cardiology: Multiphysics Simulation of Hemodynamics and Remodeling in Long-Duration Missions

Heart Twin for Space Cardiology: Multiphysics Simulation of Hemodynamics and Remodeling in Long-Duration Missions | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Heart Twin for Space Cardiology: Multiphysics Simulation of Hemodynamics and Remodeling in Long-Duration Missions Hassa Iftikhar This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7552491/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Spaceflight imposes profound cardiovascular challenges owing to fluid shifts, reduced preload, and altered autonomic control; however, predictive tools for long-duration missions remain limited. We developed a finite element–based cardiac digital twin using COMSOL Multiphysics® to simulate cardiovascular adaptation under Earth (1 g), Martian (0.38 g), and microgravity (0 g) conditions. The model integrates anatomical fidelity, fiber-aligned electromechanics, fluid–structure interaction, and baroreflex regulation, and is calibrated against echocardiography, cardiac MRI, and analog datasets. Simulations revealed progressive impairment of diastolic vortex formation, decreased left ventricular strain, disrupted systolic ejection jets, and reduced wall shear stress with gravity unloading. Long-term adaptation predicted wall thinning, preload decline, and compliance increase, consistent with astronaut and bed rest data. Validation demonstrated that the stroke volume, ejection fraction, and cardiac output were within ±3% of the experimental measurements (R² ≥ 0.91). By capturing graded gravity transitions and regulatory resetting, a digital twin provides a physiologically credible framework for astronaut monitoring and countermeasure planning during extended missions. Biotechnology and Bioengineering Cardiovascular Simulation Multiphysics Virtual Heart Modeling Bioengineering in Space Medicine Space Cardiology Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Supplementary Files SupplementaryTechnical1.pptx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7552491","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":517832257,"identity":"85be2f43-9b82-47cf-bb5f-fb6b6253e05f","order_by":0,"name":"Hassa Iftikhar","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA20lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACAxDB2AAimRsfMDAcIF6LBJBsNiBZS5sEUVrM2Y8//vBzh10dP3tjWzVPzR05fgbmh49u4NFi2ZNjJtl7JllCsudg222eY8+MJRvYjI1z8DnsQA4bA28bs4TBjUSgFrbDiRsO8LBJ49Vy/vnjj3/b6sFainn+EaPlRoKBNG/bYbAWZiCDGC1vzKRlzxyXnNlzsFlybt9hY8lmQn45n/7449sd1fz87M0HP7z5dlgOyHj4GJ8WFMDEAyKZiVUOAow/SFE9CkbBKBgFIwYAAAPaUYXTOHBoAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, Wuhan, China","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hassa","middleName":"","lastName":"Iftikhar","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-09-06 18:01:54","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7552491/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7552491/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":92006199,"identity":"437840ae-1c9e-4ed7-9a23-da28eb21a38b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-23 15:14:57","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":3246993,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"TechnicalPapermergedcompressed.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7552491/v1_covered_30819c24-d854-45ad-b578-7aca6e50644b.pdf"},{"id":92005106,"identity":"dc95c36e-c69f-4550-8cdd-436dde4cb819","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-23 15:06:54","extension":"pptx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":497520,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SupplementaryTechnical1.pptx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7552491/v1/0a9fcc1068e9aad80fa6e73f.pptx"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eHeart Twin for Space Cardiology: Multiphysics Simulation of Hemodynamics and Remodeling in Long-Duration Missions\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Cardiovascular Simulation, Multiphysics, Virtual Heart Modeling, Bioengineering in Space Medicine, Space Cardiology","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7552491/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7552491/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eSpaceflight imposes profound cardiovascular challenges owing to fluid shifts, reduced preload, and altered autonomic control; however, predictive tools for long-duration missions remain limited. 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