Introduction to Cardiovascular Mechanics

By Prof. Anand Mohan | IIT Hyderabad

Learners enrolled: 2306 | Exam registration: 579

ABOUT THE COURSE:

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of mortality in the world and in India as of the year 2019. The onset and progress of many CVDs are affected by mechanical factors. The design of devices used in their treatment requires a knowledge of mechanics. This course will summarize the anatomy, physiology, and mechanics of the heart, blood, and vasculature in the human body. It aims to serve as a stepping stone for engineers wishing to engage with the biomedical device industry.

INTENDED AUDIENCE: UG/PG students of Biomedical/Mechanical/Chemical Engineering

PREREQUISITES:

Fluid Mechanics
Mechanics of Materials/Solid Mechanics

INDUSTRY SUPPORT: Biomedical Device Companies like Abbott India Ltd, India Medtronic Pvt Ltd, Johnson & Johnson, Stryker, etc.

Summary

Course Status :	Ongoing
Course Type :	Elective
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	4 weeks
Category :	Biological Sciences & Bioengineering Biotechnology Bioengineering
Credit Points :	1
Level :	Undergraduate/Postgraduate
Start Date :	16 Feb 2026
End Date :	13 Mar 2026
Enrollment Ends :	16 Feb 2026
Exam Registration Ends :	27 Feb 2026
Exam Date :	17 Apr 2026 IST
NCrF Level	4.5 — 8.0

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

Page Visits

Course layout

Week 1:

Motivation & Definitions: Mortality due to CVDs, Mechanics at cell level, Organ system hierarchy.
Structure-Function Relations in the body: Examples in each organ system.
Basics of Continuum Mechanics: Body, Motion, Deformation gradient, Velocity gradient, Constitutive models (fluid/solid).

Week 2:

Heart Anatomy: Heart muscle layers, Chambers, Valves,
The Cardiac Cycle: P-V changes during systole & diastole
Mechanics of the Heart: Geometry, Material symmetry, Heterogeneity, Deformation, Models of muscle layers.

Week 3:

Blood Composition: RBCs, WBCs, Platelets, Plasma
Blood Rheology (Experiments): Rheology of blood constituents, whole blood.
Blood Rheology (Models): 1D Continuum models, 3D Continuum models, Mixture theory models.

Week 4:

Vasculature (Anatomy & Physiology): Structure (Arteries, Arterioles, Capillaries, Venules, Veins), Pressure regulation & distribution in each vessel, Wall layers.
Mechanics of the Vasculature: Elastic models of walls of different arteries.

Books and references

1. Chandran KB, Rittgers SE, Yoganathan AP, Biofluid Mechanics – The Human Circulation, 2^nd Ed., CRC Press, 2012.

2. Humphrey JD, Cardiovascular Solid Mechanics: cells, tissues, and organs, Springer-Verlag, NY, 2002.

3. Marieb EN, Human Anatomy and Physiology, 6th Ed., Pearson Education, 2006.

Instructor bio

Prof. Anand Mohan

IIT Hyderabad

Dr. Anand Mohan is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at IIT Hyderabad. He obtained a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in August 2005 from Texas A&M University, where he developed a unified framework of models to study blood flow accompanied by clot growth and lysis. He continued his research in cardiovascular mechanics after joining IIT Hyderabad as an assistant professor in July 2010. His research interests are in Cardiovascular Mechanics and Complex Fluids Rheology.

Course certificate

The course is free to enroll and learn from. But if you want a certificate, you have to register and write the proctored exam conducted by us in person at any of the designated exam centres.

The exam is optional for a fee of Rs 1000/- (Rupees one thousand only).

Date and Time of Exams: April 17, 2026 Morning session 9am to 12 noon; Afternoon Session 2pm to 5pm.

Registration url: Announcements will be made when the registration form is open for registrations.

The online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid. More details will be made available when the exam registration form is published. If there are any changes, it will be mentioned then.

Please check the form for more details on the cities where the exams will be held, the conditions you agree to when you fill the form etc.

CRITERIA TO GET A CERTIFICATE

Average assignment score = 25% of average of best 3 assignments out of the total 4 assignments given in the course.
Exam score = 75% of the proctored certification exam score out of 100

Final score = Average assignment score + Exam score

Please note that assignments encompass all types (including quizzes, programming tasks, and essay submissions) available in the specific week.

YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CERTIFICATE ONLY IF AVERAGE ASSIGNMENT SCORE >=10/25 AND EXAM SCORE >= 30/75. If one of the 2 criteria is not met, you will not get the certificate even if the Final score >= 40/100.

Certificate will have your name, photograph and the score in the final exam with the breakup.It will have the logos of NPTEL and IIT Hyderabad. It will be e-verifiable at nptel.ac.in/noc.

Only the e-certificate will be made available. Hard copies will not be dispatched.

Once again, thanks for your interest in our online courses and certification. Happy learning.

- NPTEL team

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