Computational Modeling of Mechanical Heart Valves

Georgia Institute Of Technology, Atlanta GA

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Linked publications & trials

Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Prosthetic heart valves (PHV) have been in use for over four [unreadable] decades to replace diseased heart valves. However, present-day designs are far from ideal and [unreadable] significant complications such as hemolysis, plateletdestruction, and thromboembolism often arise after [unreadable] their implantation, requiring aggressive life long anticoagulation therapy which in turn carries serious [unreadable] side effects. Improving current PHV designs, however, needs highly accurate flow quantification - a [unreadable] task not achievable until recently due to the complex and intricate geometries of PHVs combined with [unreadable] the lack of an appropriate computational methodology to tackle the complexities of PHV flows. Novel [unreadable] fluid-structure interaction CFD tools have been successfully developed and validated in the current [unreadable] grant. Along with numerous experimental studies, this numerical tool has yielded the first ever in depth [unreadable] understanding of the complex physics of PHV flows under physiological conditions and at hemodynamically relevant scales. The proposed competing renewal takes the next step towards [unreadable] achieving the development of a computational framework for improving valve prosthesis designs on a [unreadable] patient-specific basis. Current Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technology makes it possible to [unreadable] obtain full 3D moving geometries at resolution sufficiently high to prescribe aorta and ventricular wall [unreadable] motions as boundary conditions for the numerical model. By coupling high resolution CFD techniques [unreadable] with the latest advancements in MRI technology, a powerful and clinically useful hemodynamic/fluid [unreadable] dynamic analysis tool could be developed for the benefit of PHV recipients. [unreadable] [unreadable] The overall hypothesis driving this competing renewal is: High resolution, imaging-based Computational [unreadable] Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling can be used to develop viable patient-specific hemodynamic tools [unreadable] where cardiac devices (not only limited to heart valve prostheses) may be evaluated prior to patient [unreadable] treatment. This hypothesis will be addressed in the following four aims: [unreadable] [unreadable] Aim 1: Development of CFD tools for left ventricle/aorta configuration [unreadable] [unreadable] Aim 2: In vitro experiments for validation in a phantom left ventricle/aorta configuration with moving [unreadable] boundaries [unreadable] [unreadable] Aim 3: Develop image processing methods for reconstruction of anatomically accurate moving ventricle [unreadable] and aorta geometries [unreadable] [unreadable] Aim 4: Preliminary application of the computational tools for patient simulation and analysis Completion [unreadable] of this project will lead to a significant advancement in the field of heart valve flow analysis and the [unreadable] development of fluid mechanically improved cardiac devices. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: [unreadable] Present day designs of prosthetic heart valves are far from ideal and significant risk of complications exist requiring patients to undergo aggressive life long anti-coagulation therapy which in turn carries [unreadable] additional risks. In this competing renewal, the computational technology produced during the original [unreadable] grant is further developed to be able to simulate flows in patient specific anatomies. This will be [unreadable] achieved by obtaining actual geometries of patients using magnetic resonance imaging and coupling this information with a more sophisticated and improved version of the current computational fluid [unreadable] dynamics software. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]