Experimental Study on the Reynolds and Viscous Shear Stress of Bileaflet Mechanical Heart Valves in a Pneumatic Ventricular Assist Device

Our group is currently developing a pneumatic ventricular assist device (PVAD). In general, the major causes of hemolysis in a pulsatile VAD are cavitation, and Reynolds shear stress (RSS) in the mechanical heart valve (MHV). In a previous study, we investigated MHV cavitation. To select the optimal bileaflet valve for our PVAD, in the current study, we investigated RSS and viscous shear stress (VSS) downstream of three different types of commercial bileaflet valves by means of 2D particle image velocimetry (PIV). To carry out flow visualization inside the blood pump and near the valve, we designed a model pump with the same configuration as that of our PVAD. Three types of bileaflet valves (i.e., the ATS valve, the St. Jude valve, and the Sorin Bicarbon valve) were mounted at the aortic position of the model pump, and flow was visualized according to the PIV method. The maximum flow velocity and RSS of the Sorin Bicarbon valve were lower than those of the other two bileaflet valves. The maximum VSS was only 1% of the maximum RSS. Thus, the effect of VSS on blood cell trauma was neglected. The Sorin Bicarbon valve exhibited relatively low levels of RSS, and was therefore considered to be the best valve for our PVAD among the three valves tested.