Article - Flow structures in the right atrium

We characterized vortical flow structures in the healthy human right atrium, their impact on wall shear stresses and possible implications for atrial thrombus formation. By means of three-dimensional particle tracking velocimetry, we observed the development of two vortex rings in the bulk of the right atrium during the atrial filling phase, leading to a rinsing effect at the atrial wall, which break down during ventricular filling.