Track 14. Cardiovascular Mechanics valve was visualized in three parallel planes of the ascending mock aorta.

Analyzed region of interest was up to 40mm distal from the valve plane. Results showed a high degree of turbulence, asymmetric and inhomogeneous flow behavior. Typical 2-jet stream for a monoleaflet flow is observed, with a minor jet stream which was highly unsteady. 6270 Th, 17:15-17:30 (P46) Pulsatile flows through orifices M. Falchi 1, G. Querzoli2, G.E Romano 1. 1Dept. Mechanics and Aeronautics, University of Roma "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy, 2Dept. Ingegneria del Territorio, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy The investigation of the flow field downstream an orifice is one of the basis to understand vortex formation and interactions occurring during discharge of blood into the aorta or during filling of the ventricle through the mitralic valve. In simulating experimentally such complex phenomena, the effects of the specific geometry (valves, Valsalva sinuses), of the restricted environment (aortica root, ventricle) and of the presence of moving leaflets are important. Nonetheless, even in a simple geometrical configuration as the circular axisymmetric pulsed jet, some fundamental aspects can be investigated. In particular, in this paper the attention is focussed onto the dynamics of the vortex rings which develop at the outlet of the jet. The question to be solved is how the vortex formation and interactions depend on the specific form of the periodic signal which drives the pulsed jet (i.e. how the forcing signal affects the fluid-dynamics downstream the jet outlet). Experiments have been carried out on a pulsed jet apparatus in which a piston pumps water into a chamber (cross section 40cm 40cm, length 110cm) through a sharp edged orifice (diameter D=3cm). The piston is driven by a linear motor controlled by a PC; the motor is able to move under given periodic displacements. The velocity field is measured by Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) performing phase averaging at the same piston position over different cycles. The formation, evolution and decay of vortex rings has been already studied in the past; anyway, most of investigators focussed on flow-rates constant until a sudden stop of the forcing takes place. Conversely, this study is aimed to understand the behavior of vortex rings when the flow-rate, after an initial acceleration, decreases gradually. Measured velocity and vorticity fields clearly show a vortex ring developing from the jet outlet; the ring moves downstream and a wake with secondary vortex rings is formed.

14.9. Heart Valves and Prostheses

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importance for the design of safety-critical devices such as mechanical heart valves. Whilst structural failures of mechanical heart valves are rare due to rigorous and expensive in vitro testing, leaflet failures are still occasionally reported. Measurement of closure forces both in vitro and in an animal model is technically challenging. In terms of modelling, the situation is also complex as the magnitude of the closure impulse is dominated by the momentum of the blood rather than that of the occluder. Whilst it is now possible to employ fully coupled-fluid-structural analysis [1] to address this problem, the analysis is computational expensive and essential boundary conditions are difficult to determine accurately. It has been demonstrated [2] that a simple method of estimation of the impulse force and moment associated with a leaflet closure can produce comparable results with those of a detailed computational fluid dynamics analysis, at least for design purposes. This paper will develop the theme of application of the simple model to the design process and will explore the association between valve closure forces and physiological factors.
References [1] de Hart J, Peters GWM, Schreurs PJG, Baaijens FPT. A three dimensional computational analysis of fluid-structure interaction in the aortic valve. J. Biomech. 2003; 36: 103-112. [2] Hose DR, Narracott AJ, Penrose JMT, Baguley D, Jones IP, Lawford PV. Fundamental mechanics of aortic heart valve closure. J. Biomech. 2005; in press, available on-line 14 March 2005.

6670 Th, 14:30-14:45 (P44) Reduction of the pro-coagulant potential of bileaflet mechanical heart valves using passive, surface-mounted elements L.P. Dasi 1, D.W. Murphy2, H.A. Simon 3, A. Glezer2, A.P. Yoganathan1. 1Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emery University, Atlanta, GA, USA, 2Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA, 3School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA Heart patients with implanted mechanical heart valves are at a significant risk of thromboembolic complications due to non-physiological flow characteristics. In bileaflet mechanical heart valves (BMHVs), the flow during the leakage phase has been considered as the primary forcing mechanism for platelet activation and ultimately thrombus formation. In this study we investigate the strong flow transients associated with the formation of counter-rotating vortex pairs near the valve b-datum line at the leaflet edges during the timeperiodic closing of BMHVs. It is argued that the intense transitory shear that is generated by these vortices is the primary flow mechanism that causes platelet activation. These flow transients are mitigated using miniature vortex generator arrays mounted on the surface of the leaflets. The closing transients in the absence and presence of the passive vortex generators are characterized using PIV measurements that are phase locked to the leaflet motion. The study utilizes a 25 mm St. Jude Medical BHMV placed in the aortic position of the Georgia Tech left heart flow simulator and subjected to physiological flow conditions. In addition to PIV measurements, in vitro steady flow blood experiments have shown that the presence of the vortex generators leads to a significant reduction in thrombin-anti-thrombin (TAT) production, a complex produced during the coagulation cascade, which is a measure of thrombus formation. These findings demonstrate that a significant reduction in the procoagulant characteristics of BMHVs can be achieved by local control of the flow using passive surface elements embedded on the valve. 6045 Th, 14:45-15:00 (P44) Experimental studies of mechanical heart valves in pulsatile circulatory support devices K.B. Manning, B.D. Wivholm, J.W. Kreider, A.A. Fontaine, S. Deutsch. Department of Bioengineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA The Pennsylvania State University has been developing ventricular assist devices (VADs) and total artificial hearts for nearly 30 years. These devices are pulsatile blood pumps which require mechanical heart valves (MHVs) to maintain unidirectional flow. Currently, we are developing smaller VADs (12, 25, and 50 cc) to address the unmet needs of more patients including women and children. These pulsatile circulatory support devices are susceptible to thrombosis and understanding the flow developed by the valves is essential to minimize blood damage and areas of stasis. For the Penn State devices, previous studies have illustrated that scaling down from a 70cc version to smaller devices is not straightforward. Studies showed thrombus deposition occurring within the 50cc and pediatric devices. This led to our re-evaluation of the mitral valve inflow characteristics. To assess if valve type and orientation influence thrombus deposition, a parametric mitral valve

14.9. Heart Valves and Prostheses

4662 Th, 14:00-14:15 (P44) Dynamic PIV flow field study of the bi-leaflet mitral prostheses T. Akutsu, J. Saito, K. Mori, T. Suzuki, K. Miura. Dept. of Mech. Eng., Kanto Gakuin University, Yokohama, Japan Four bi-leaflet prostheses, the St. Jude Medical (SJM) and the On-X valves with straight leaflets and the Jyros (JR) and the MIRA valves with curved leaflets were tested in the mitral position under pulsatile-flow condition. Dynamic PIV system was employed to analyze the flow field affected by the leaflet shapes, valve designs, working fluid, and operating waveform. Detailed chronological comparison of the flow fields associated with the opening, accelerating, peak, and closing phase of the flow revealed the significance of the leaflet and overall valve designs on the flow field and influence of operating conditions. Based on the experimental results, following general conclusions can be made. All valves show large turbulent stresses during accelerating flow phase. Older designs, the SJM and the JR valves deflected the flow during accelerating flow phase, while newer designs, the On-X and the M IRA valves deflected less. The small differences in hinge locations and leaflet configurations in the bi-leaflet configuration generate noticeable differences on the flow field and turbulent stress distribution. Straight leaflets of the SJM valve does not deflect the flow too much when it fully opens, while curved leaflets of the Jyros valve deflects the flow sideway noticeably even the valve is fully opened. The SJM valve generates strong downward flow immediately downstream of the mitral valve while the JR valve generates strong peripherally downward flow, both generating twin circulatory flow with different characteristics. The On-X valve has strong centrally downwards flow due to its large opening angle and flared inlet shape. The MIRA valve also has relatively strong downwards-central flow. This, however, divert three-dimensionally due to its peripherally curved leaflets. 5189 Th, 14:15-14:30 (P44) Computation of closure forces for mechanical heart valves P.V. Lawford, A.J. Narracott, V. Diaz, D.R. Hose. Academic Unit ef Medical Physics, University of Sheffield, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK An understanding of the dynamic mechanical environment and in vive loading conditions is essential to the development of any device and of particular