[Physiology | Cardiology | Heart Health] Developed by Henry Darcy, Darcy's law is an equation that describes the flow of fluid the a porous object.  See notes for more information on the application of Darcy's Law to Physiology.

The equation is given by: `(MAP) / (TPR)`

where `MAP` is Mean Arterial Pressure and where `TPR` is Total Peripheral Resistance

Inputs for this formula are:

•  Mean Arterial Pressure in units of mmHg - millimeters of mercury
• Total Peripheral Resistance in units of mmHg * (min/L)

Darcy's Law returns the cardiac output in terms of Liters per minute.

Notes

Darcy's law has a specific application to Physiology, more specifically, hemodynamics. Hemodynamics is the study of blood flow and the physical factors that govern blood flow [1]. The blood flow is represented by pressure divided by resistance. For information about Darcy's Law, please visit the two links below for more information on its relation to physiology. Ultimately, the key thing to remember for this equation is that blood flow is equal to the pressure divided by the resistance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemodynamics

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vascular_resistance