Journal of Agriculture & Life Sciences

Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation of the Dynamics of a Tilting Disc Heart Valve Prosthesis during the Opening and Fully Open Phases
Ranjith G, Muraleedharan C V

Abstract
The study of the hemodynamics is an important component in the design and validation of artificial heart valves. The removal of natural valves and their replacement by artificial valves may considerably alter the physiological flow. This necessitates an extensive verification and validation process involving in-vivo, in-vitro and in-silico models. The pulse duplicator is an in-vitro setup used to validate the performance of the valve dynamics. Physiological pressure and flow waveforms across the valve can be simulated using this setup using lumped impedances representing the systemic resistances and compliances. The use of Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD) models to simulate the pulse duplicator allows access to parameters like velocity profiles, shear stresses and areas of separation and recirculation which are critical in the design of a heart valve prosthesis. A CFD analysis of the dynamics of a 25 mm sized tilting disc aortic valve was done with geometry and flow waveforms as in the in-vitro pulse duplicator setup. Two phases of the flow were simulated –the opening phase and the fully open phase. The results of the simulation were validated with results from the in-vitro experimental setup.

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