Biaxial Mechanical Properties of Passive Right Ventricular Free Wall Myocardium

The biaxial mechanical properties of right ventricular free wall (RVFW) myocardium were studied. Tissue specimens were obtained from the sub-epicardium of potassium-arrested hearts and different stretch protocols were used to characterize the myocardium’s mechanical response. To assess regional differences, we excised tissue specimens from the conus and sinus regions. The RVFW myocardium was found to be consistently anisotropic, with a greater stiffness along the preferred (or averaged) fiber direction. The anisotropy in the conus region was more pronounced than in the sinus region. A comparison with studies of left ventricle (LV) midwall myocardium revealed that, 1) the fiber direction stiffnesses are greater in the RVFW than in the LV, 2) the degree of anisotropy is greater in the RVFW than in the LV.