• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.418-426
• /
• 2006

In the artificial heart application, productivity and hemodynamic properties of artificial heart valves are crucial in successiful application to long term in vivo trials. This paper is about manufacture and assessment of trileaflet polymer heart valves using vacuum forming process(VFP). The VFP has many advantages such as reduced fabrication time, reproducibility due to relatively easy and simple process for manufacturing. Prior to VFP of trileaflet polymer heart valves, polyurethane(Pellethane 2363 80AE, Dow Chemical) sheet was prepared by extrusion. The sheets were heated and formed to mold shape by vacuum pressure. The vacuum formed trileaflet polymer heart valves fabrication is composed of two step method, first, leaflet forming and second, conduit forming. This two-step forming process made the leaflet-conduit bonding stable with any organic solvents. Hydrodynamic properties and hemocompatibility of the vacuum formed trileaflet polymer heart valves was compared with sorin bicarbon bileaflet heart valve. The percent effective orifice area of vacuum formed trileaflet polymer heart valves was inferior to bileaflet heart valve, but the increase of plasma free hemoglobin level which reflect blood damage was superior in vacuum formed trileaflet polymer heart valves Vacuum formed trileaflet polymer heart valves has high productivity, and superior hemodynamic property than bileaflet heart valves. Low manufacturing cost and blood compatible trileaflet polymer heart valves shows the advantages of vacuum forming process, and these results give feasibility in in vivo animal trials in near future, and the clinical artificial heart development program.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.147-156
• /
• 1997

Various prosthetic heart valves have been developed and used clinically, but they have problems, such as thrombogenecity, hemoltsis, high cost and low durability. New types of trileaflet polymer heart valves have been developed in order to use them as inlet and outlet valves in a ventricular assist device. The aim of this study is to determine the hydrodynamic effectiveness of the newly designed trileaflet polymer valves and their feasibility for temporary use in the blood pumps. Trileaflet polymer valves are made of polyurethane, because of its good blood compatibility, high tonsil strength and good resistance to fatigue. An in vitro experimental investigation was perf'ormed in order to ev91ua1e hydrodynamic performance of the trileaflet polymer valves having different design and fabrication tech- niques. The St. Jude Medical valve (SJMV) and floating-type monoleaflet polymer valve (MLPV) were also tested The pressure drop across the valve, leakage volume, and the flow patterns mere investigated for valves. The result of comparative tests showed that the trileaflet polymer valves had a better hydrodynamic performance than the others. TPV which has two stable membrane shape showed the lowest back flow. The pressure hops of TPVs were lower than that of MLPV, but slightly higher than SJMV. The hydrodynamic performance of valves under the pulastile flow showed the similar results as steady flow. The velocity profiles and turbulent intensities were measured at the distal sites of valves using a hot-film anemometer. Central flow was maintained in trileaflet polymer valves, and the maximum turbulent intensities were lower in TPVs comparing to MLPV.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.87-96
• /
• 1992

In thIns paper, a numerical simulation of steady laminar and turbulent flow in a two dimensional model for the total artificial heart is'presented. A trlleaflet polyurethane valve was simulated at the outflow orifice while the Inflow orifice had a trileaflet or a flap valve. The finite analytic numerical method was employed to obtain solutions to the governing equations in the Cartesian coordinates. The closure for turbulence model was achieved by employing the k-$\varepsilon$-E model. The SIMPLER algo rithm was used to solve the problem in primitive variables. The numerical solutions of the slulated model show that regions of relative stasis and trapped vortices were smaller within the ventricular chamber with the flap valve at the Inflow orifice than that with the trileaflet valve. The predicted Reynolds stresses distal to the inflow valve within the ventricular chamber were also found to be smaller wlth the flap valve than with the trlleaflet valve. These resu1ts also suggest a correlation be- tween high turbulent stresses and the presence of thrombus In the vicinity of the valves in the total artificial hearts. The computed velocity vectors and trubulent stresses were comparable with previ ously reported in vitro measurements in artificial heart chambers. Analysis of the numerical solo talons suggests that geometries similar to the flap valve(or a tilting disc valve) results in a better flow dynamics within the total artificial heart chamber compared to a trileaflet valve.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
• /
• v.1993 no.11
• /
• pp.104-106
• /
• 1993

Some cardio-vascular assist systems need more inexpensive artificial heart valves for short-term use. To meet with this need, we have developed a new polymer valve that is very simple to manufacture and of which its dimensions are easy to change, depending on its application. We have tested the hydrodynamic performance of the new polymer valve using a mock circulatory testing system and studied the flow through the valve using high-speed camera combined with image processing techniques. The results show that this valve is superior in its performances to the other valves (Bjork-Shiley mechanical valve and trileaflet polymer valve) and have no stagnation points. We also have tested the hemolytic potential of the valve. The valve is less hemolytic than the Bjork-shiley mechanical valve finally, we have applied this valve to a left ventricular assist device that we are developing.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.225-234
• /
• 1992

In order to use a low cost polymer valve in our total artificial heart and ventricular assist device, we have developed a slit-type bileaflet polymer valve[BPV 1. The aim of this study is to determine the hydrodynamic effectiveness of the newly-designed BPV and its feasibility for temporary use in the blood pumps. For hydrodynamic comparison, we investigated in-vitro the pressure drop across the valve, the leakage volume, the flow rate and the flow pattern of the BPV, two mechanical valves and a trileaflet polymer valve. We employed the ventriculo-pulmonary bypassing method for in-vivo tests of the BPV's together vilh our electrohydraulic left venIn ricular assist device in mongrel dogs. The BPV showed adquate gydrodynamic performances and in the preliminary animal bests, there was no xvi dence of thrombus formation on the valve leaflets and around the struts. Detailed results obtained from the animal tests will be separately reported. This report involves the design criteria, fabrication and hydrodynamic charateristics of she BPV, and the basic merits and demerits of the valve are dis- cussed from the hydrodynamic point of view.