An energy density function for the heart encompassing both elastic and contractile properties 1

Abstract

The calculations leading to an energy density function for heart muscle encompassing both elastic and contractile properties are explicitly given.

The function has two variables Q (measuring deformation) and Q^c (measuring contraction). The time dependence of the contraction variable (Q^c) was found to be largely independent of preload and afterload. This increases the possibility of its clinical determination and that of the constants in the energy density function for diagnostic and prognostic purposes.