  Mathematical models are widely recognized as a valuable tool for
cardiovascular diagnosis and the study of circulatory diseases, especially to
obtain data that require otherwise invasive measurements. To correctly simulate
body hemodynamics, the viscoelastic properties of vessel walls are a key aspect
to be taken into account as they play an essential role in cardiovascular
behavior. The present work aims to apply the augmented fluid-structure
interaction system of blood flow to real case studies to assess the validity of
the model as a valuable resource to improve cardiovascular diagnostics and the
treatment of pathologies. First, the ability of the model to correctly simulate
pulse waveforms in single arterial segments is verified using literature
benchmark test cases. Such cases are designed taking into account a simple
elastic behavior of the wall in the upper thoracic aorta and in the common
carotid artery. Furthermore, in-vivo pressure waveforms, extracted from
tonometric measurements performed on four human common carotid arteries and two
common femoral arteries, are compared to numerical solutions. It is highlighted
that the viscoelastic damping effect of arterial walls is required to avoid an
overestimation of pressure peaks. An effective procedure to estimate the
viscoelastic parameters of the model is herein proposed, which returns
hysteresis curves of the common carotid arteries dissipating energy fractions
in line with values calculated from literature hysteresis loops in the same
vessel.
