  This study examined the flow rate in arteries using the modified Windkessel
model, considering various models for blood pressure. An exact solution was
derived using a Laplace transform method and the effects of blood pressure on
the flow rate in an artery were examined. The effects of the flow resistance,
arterial compliance, and inertia of blood on the flow rate were also
investigated. The flow rate decreased with increasing inertia of the blood and
flow resistance and decreasing arterial compliance. The height and position of
the secondary peak were determined by a combination of the flow resistance,
arterial compliance, and blood inertance. The results suggest that the risk of
hypertension may increase with age because decreases in flow rate due to an
increase in flow resistance and a decrease in arterial compliance were more
substantial than the increase in flow rate caused by a decrease in blood
inertance. The proposed method can provide information to examine how factors,
such as aging, disease, and exercise, affect the flow rate in blood vessels.
