A Theoretical Model for Peripheral Tissue Heat Transfer Using the Bioheat Equation of Weinbaum and Jiji

Abstract

In this paper the new bioheat equation derived in Weinbaum and Jiji [7] is applied to the three layer conceptual model of microvascular surface tissue organization proposed in [1]. A simplified one-dimensional quantitative model of peripheral tissue energy exchange is then developed for application in limb and whole body heat transfer studies. A representative vasculature is constructed for each layer and the enhancement in the local tensor conductivity of the tissue as a function of vascular geometry and blood flow is examined. Numerical solutions for the boundary value problem coupling the three layers are presented and these results used to study the thermal behavior of peripheral tissue for a wide variety of physiological conditions from supine resting state to maximum exercise.