Arterial Windkessels in marine mammals.

In marine mammals, the aortic arch is enlarged relative to the descending aorta to varying degrees in different species. The ratio of maximal diameter of the arch to that of the thoracic aorta is about 2.3 in the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina), 3.6 in the Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddelli) and 3.2 in the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), compared with only 1.4 in the dog. This anatomical specialisation probably provides increased volume capacitance in the arterial circulation as an adaptation to diving bradycardia. Data on the morphometric and mechanical properties of aortic tissues from seals and fin whale are compared. In the harbour seal, more than 80% of the volume change in the entire thoracic aorta that results from a pressure pulse occurs in the bulbous arch, and this is more than 90% in the Weddell seal and fin whale. The enhanced capacitance of the arch in the harbour seal is primarily due to its larger diameter, as the relative wall thickness and elasticity of the arch and thoracic aorta are the same. A similar situation appears to exist in the larger Weddell seal, although extrapolation of the pressure-volume curves suggests that the arch might be somewhat less stiff than the thoracic aorta. In addition to being greatly expanded, the aortic arch of the fin whale is also much more distensible than the relatively thin-walled and much stiffer descending aorta. At the estimated mean blood pressure, the elastic modulus of this vessel is 12 MPa, or 30 times that of the aortic arch. The major haemodynamic consequence of this type of arterial modification is that the aortic arch acts as a Windkessel, i.e. the capacitance of the aorta is increased significantly close to the heart, leading to a reduced characteristic impedance and probably reduced pulsatility in the descending aorta. In the extreme case of the whale, the arterial capacitance is shifted entirely to the arch, and the impedance change at the entrance to the thoracic aorta is so high that this probably represents the major reflection site in the arterial tree.