Primary Research Area:

Biomedical Engineering including Biomechanics

Research Interests:

Hemodynamics, pulmonary circulation, digital signal processing, mathematical modeling.

Education:

BA, Dakota Wesley University
MS, University of Arizona
PhD, University of North Carolina

About Dr. Carol N. Lucas:

Dr. Lucas's primary research interests center around the pulmonary circulation in newborns and infants. Ongoing research projects in this area include: 1) Development of a detailed, age dependent mathematical model of the pulmonary circulation of lambs such that a clearer understanding is gained of what is "normal for age" and what changes occur when the circulation is altered by pulmonary vascular disease or congenital heart defects. The models includes geometric features such as diameters, lengths, curvature, taper, branching angles, etc. and hemodynamic data such as systolic, mean, and diastolic pressures, blood velocities and flows, and compliance of vessels as indicated by intrabeat changes in radius. 2) Development of indices of abnormality that clinicians might use to identify of track patients with suspected pulmonary vascular impairment. 3) Development of finite element models for simulating blood velocity patterns under conditions of normal and abnormal development. 4) Development of animal models that are useful in understanding the pathogenesis of pulmonary vascular disease and how it might be altered. 5) Development of animal models and mathematical models that are useful in understanding the hemodynamic effects of right heart bypass (modified Fontan) operations.

Recent Publications:

1. Lucas CL, Henry GW, Ferreiro JI, Ha B, Keagy BA, Wilcox BR. Pulmonary blood velocity profile variability in open-chest dogs: 1) influence of acutely altered hemodynamic states on profiles and 2) influence of profiles on the accuracy of techniques for cardiac output determination. Heart & Vessels 4:65-78, 1988.
2. Lucas,CL, Henry GW, Keagy BA, Criado E, Ferreiro JI, Ha B, Baudino MD, Wilcox BR. Continuous measurement of pulmonary blood flow using a retractable pulsed Doppler probe. J Ultrasound Med 6:181-90, 1987.
3. Lucas CL, Wilcox BR, Ha B, Henry GW. Comparison of time domain algorithms for estimating aortic characteristic impedance in humans. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 35:62-8, 1988.
4. Lucas CL, Radke NF, Wilcox BR, Henry GW, Keagy BA. Maturation of pulmonary input impedance spectrum in infants and children with ventricular septal defect. Am J Cardiol 57:821-7, 1986.
5. Lucas CL. (Refereed by Attinger FM) Fluid mechanics of the pulmonary circulation. CRC Critical Rev Biomed Eng 10:317-392, 1984.

Date of Last Modification: 2/17/2005

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