Abstract
We made fmite element models with bone prominence, fat, skin and two cavities of capilaiy. These capillaries are located at a center of the fat and skin. One model has a skin surface with a small curvature and the other with a round surface. The tissue is compressed to a mattress. We compared two supporting conditions; the tissues are supported by (1) an elastic mattress and (2) a mattress for a half and a pressure for the other half. We compared the vascular flow resistance in the skin and fat in the two models for the two supporting conditions, assuming a Poiseuille flow. The simulation results show that the skin with a round surface causes a large compressive stress under the bone prominence. They also show that supporting by 5 kPa pressure reduces the stress concentration to the pressure level and the flow resistance in the capillaries by 9%-23%.
