Assessment of thermal dissipation effects in a ventricular assist device - biomed 2013.

The heat generated during normal operation of an implantable Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) can have a deleterious effect on the surrounding tissue as well as the blood flowing through the device. This effect is often overlooked and might also result in heart pump failure. Therefore, for a comprehensive design evaluation it is essential to accurately model the thermal dissipation in a LVAD system to ensure safety and device reliability. The LifeFlow artificial heart pump is a magnetically suspended axial flow LVAD in which the motor as well as the suspension system are the primary sources for heat generation. The objective of this study is to perform a thorough thermal analysis of the device using a combination of heat transfer equations, 3D-Finite Element analysis and 3D-CFD modeling. Particularly, the effects of heat generated on blood passing through the device due to the motor, magnetic suspension system and housing are studied. Conduction and convection effects due to the above contributors are analyzed. In addition, temperature distributions are estimated for different flow rates and pressure differentials. As a result of this study, it can be inferred if nominal operation of the LifeFlow LVAD would have any significant thermal effects on blood passing through the device. Results show that there is a 2.2°C temperature increase in the magnetic suspension system during nominal operation, while the blood temperature is increasing by 1.6°C. Assessment of thermal effects is crucial since high temperature exposure of blood could ultimately affect the patient whose systemic circulation is supported by the LVAD.

Lifeflow vad: design and numerical modeling of magnetic bearing system.

The non-contact and lubrication free support of magnetic bearings make them ideal to support rotating machines. One area of application of magnetic bearings is in the design of the mechanical heart pumps. The LifeFlow heart pump developed by the University of Virginia is one such heart pump which uses active and passive magnetic bearings to support the impeller. The design and controls of such bearings can be quite challenging. One of the major difficulties that one may encounter in designing the controller is to get accurate values of the control parameters such as bias flux, radial and axial stiffness values, forces, etc. In order to obtain these parameters accurately, a three dimensional finite element analysis of the magnetic bearings is crucial. This paper covers the analysis of the magnetic bearing system used in the LifeFlow Heart pump. The main purpose of the analysis was to provide accurate values of air gap flux, forces, radial and axial stiffness in order to design a robust and optimized controller for the bearings. As a result of the analysis, these parameters have been determined and the motor is being redesigned with a smaller footprint to achieve higher efficiency.

Numerical evaluation of blood damage in a magnetically levitated heart pump - biomed 2009.

The prospect of Ventricular Assist Devices used for long-term support of congestive heart failure patients is directly dependent upon excellent blood compatibility. High fluid stress levels may arise due to high rotational speeds and narrow clearances between the stationary and rotating parts of the pump. Thus, fluid stress may result in damage to red blood cells and activation of platelets, contributing to thrombus formation. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate levels of blood trauma for successful design of a Ventricular Assist Device. Estimating the fluid stress levels that occur in a blood pump during the design phase also provides valuable information for optimization considerations. This study describes the CFD evaluation of blood damage in a magnetically suspended axial pump that occurs due to fluid stress. Using CFD, a blood damage index, reflecting the percentage of damaged red blood cells, was numerically estimated based on the scalar fluid stress values and exposure time to such stresses. A number of particles, with no mass and reactive properties, was injected at the inflow of the computational domain at a time t = 0 and traveled along their corresponding streamlines. A Lagrangian particle tracking technique was employed to obtain the stress history of each particle along its streamline, making it possible to consider the damage history of each particle. Maximum scalar stresses of approximately 430 Pa were estimated to occur along the tip surface of the impeller blades, more precisely at the leading edge of the impeller blades. The maximum time required for the vast majority of particles to pass through the pump was approximately 0.085sec. A small number of particles approximately 5%), which traveled through the narrow gap between the stationary and rotating part of the pump, exited the computational domain in approximately 0.2 sec. The mean value of blood damage index was found to be 0.15% with a maximum value of approximately 0.47%. These values are one order of magnitude lower than the approximated damage indices published in the literature for other Ventricular Assist Devices. The low blood damage index indicates that red blood cells traveling along the streamlines considered are not likely to be ruptured, mainly due to the very small time of exposure to high stress.

Implantable axialflow blood pump for left ventricular support.

Artificial blood pumps, either ventricular assist devices (VADs) or total artificial hearts, are currently employed for bridge to recovery, bridge to transplant, and destination therapy situations. The clinical effectiveness of VADs has been demonstrated; however, all of the currently available pumps have a limited life because of either the damage they cause to blood or their limited mechanical design life. A magnetically suspended rotary blood pump offers the potential to meet the requirements of both extending design life and causing negligible blood damage due to superior hemodynamics. Therefore, over the last few years, efforts of an interdisciplinary research team at University of Virginia have been concentrated on the design and development of a fully implantable axial flow VAD with a magnetically levitated impeller (LEV-VAD). This paper details the second generation developmental prototype (LEV-VAD2 design configuration) and includes a complete CFD analysis of device performance. Based on encouraging results of the first design stage, including a good agreement between the CFD performance estimations and the experimental measurements, a second design phase was initiated in an attempt to enhance device flow performance and suspension system capabilities. Using iterative design optimization stages, the design of the impeller and the geometry of the stationary and rotating blades have been reevaluated. A thorough CFD analysis allowed for optimization of the blood flow path such that an optimal trade-off among the hydraulic performance, specific requirements of a blood pump, and manufacturing requirements has been achieved. Per the CFD results, the LEV-VAD2 produces 6 lpm and 100 mmHg at a rotational speed of 7,000 rpm. The pressure-flow performance predictions indicate the LEV-VAD2's ability to deliver adequate flow over physiologic pressures for rotational speeds varying from 5,000 to 8,000 rpm. The blood damage numerical predictions also demonstrate acceptable levels. The axial and radial forces estimated from the computational analysis are well within the range for which the magnetic suspension and motor configuration can compensate. As a consequence of this favorable performance, the current design configuration has been selected for prototype manufacturing and further experimental testing.

Numerical design and experimental hydraulic testing of an axial flow ventricular assist device for infants and children.

Mechanical circulatory support options for infants and children are very limited in the United States. Existing circulatory support systems have proven successful for short-term pediatric assist, but are not completely successful as a bridge-to-transplant or bridge-to-recovery. To address this substantial need for alternative pediatric mechanical assist, we are developing a novel, magnetically levitated, axial flow pediatric ventricular assist device (PVAD) intended for longer-term ventricular support. Three major numerical design and optimization phases have been completed. A prototype was built based on the latest numerical design (PVAD3) and hydraulically tested in a flow loop. The plastic PVAD prototype delivered 0.5-4 lpm, generating pressure rises of 50-115 mm Hg for operating speeds of 6,000-9,000 rpm. The experimental testing data and the numerical predictions correlated well. The error between these sets of data was found to be generally 7.8% with a maximum deviation of 24% at higher flow rates. The axial fluid forces for the numerical simulations ranged from 0.5 to 1 N and deviated from the experimental results by generally 8.5% with a maximum deviation of 12% at higher flow rates. These hydraulic results demonstrate the excellent performance of the PVAD3 and illustrate the achievement of the design objectives.

Fluid force predictions and experimental measurements for a magnetically levitated pediatric ventricular assist device.

The latest generation of artificial blood pumps incorporates the use of magnetic bearings to levitate the rotating component of the pump, the impeller. A magnetic suspension prevents the rotating impeller from contacting the internal surfaces of the pump and reduces regions of stagnant and high shear flow that surround fluid or mechanical bearings. Applying this third-generation technology, the Virginia Artificial Heart Institute has developed a ventricular assist device (VAD) to support infants and children. In consideration of the suspension design, the axial and radial fluid forces exerted on the rotor of the pediatric VAD were estimated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) such that fluid perturbations would be counterbalanced. In addition, a prototype was built for experimental measurements of the axial fluid forces and estimations of the radial fluid forces during operation using a blood analog mixture. The axial fluid forces for a centered impeller position were found to range from 0.5 +/- 0.01 to 1 +/- 0.02 N in magnitude for 0.5 +/- 0.095 to 3.5 +/- 0.164 Lpm over rotational speeds of 6110 +/- 0.39 to 8030 +/- 0.57% rpm. The CFD predictions for the axial forces deviated from the experimental data by approximately 8.5% with a maximum difference of 18% at higher flow rates. Similarly for the off-centered impeller conditions, the maximum radial fluid force along the y-axis was found to be -0.57 +/- 0.17 N. The maximum cross-coupling force in the x direction was found to be larger with a maximum value of 0.74 +/- 0.22 N. This resulted in a 25-35% overestimate of the radial fluid force as compared to the CFD predictions; this overestimation will lead to a far more robust magnetic suspension design. The axial and radial forces estimated from the computational results are well within a range over which a compact magnetic suspension can compensate for flow perturbations. This study also serves as an effective and novel design methodology for blood pump developers employing magnetic suspensions. Following a final design evaluation, a magnetically suspended pediatric VAD will be constructed for extensive hydraulic and animal testing as well as additional validation of this design methodology.

Computational design and experimental performance testing of an axial-flow pediatric ventricular assist device.

The Virginia Artificial Heart Institute continues to design and develop an axial-flow pediatric ventricular assist device (PVAD) for infants and children in the United States. Our research team has created a database to track potential PVAD candidates at the University of Virginia Children's Hospital. The findings of this database aided with need assessment and design optimization of the PVAD. A numerical analysis of the optimized PVAD1 design (PVAD2 model) was also completed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to predict pressure-flow performance, fluid force estimations, and blood damage levels in the flow domain. Based on the PVAD2 model and after alterations to accommodate manufacturing, a plastic prototype for experimental flow testing was constructed via rapid prototyping techniques or stereolithography. CFD predictions demonstrated a pressure rise range of 36-118 mm Hg and axial fluid forces of 0.8-1.7 N for flows of 0.5-3 l/min over 7000-9000 rpm. Blood damage indices per CFD ranged from 0.24% to 0.35% for 200 massless and inert particles analyzed. Approximately 187 (93.5%) of the particles took less than 0.14 seconds to travel completely through the PVAD. The mean residence time was 0.105 seconds with a maximum time of 0.224 seconds. Additionally, in a water/glycerin blood analog solution, the plastic prototype produced pressure rises of 20-160 mm Hg for rotational speeds of 5960 +/- 18 rpm to 9975 +/- 31 rpm over flows from 0.5 to 4.5 l/min. The numerical results for the PVAD2 and the prototype hydraulic testing indicate an acceptable design for the pump, represent a significant step in the development phase of this device, and encourage manufacturing of a magnetically levitated prototype for animal experiments.

Computational design and experimental testing of a novel axial flow LVAD.

Thousands of cardiac failure patients per year in the United States could benefit from long-term mechanical circulatory support as destination therapy. To provide an improvement over currently available devices, we have designed a fully implantable axial-flow ventricular assist device with a magnetically levitated impeller (LEV-VAD). In contrast to currently available devices, the LEV-VAD has an unobstructed blood flow path and no secondary flow regions, generating substantially less retrograde and stagnant flow. The pump design included the extensive use of conventional pump design equations and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling for predicting pressure-flow curves, hydraulic efficiencies, scalar fluid stress levels, exposure times to such stress, and axial fluid forces exerted on the impeller for the suspension design. Flow performance testing was completed on a plastic prototype of the LEV-VAD for comparison with the CFD predictions. Animal fit trials were completed to determine optimum pump location and cannulae configuration for future acute and long-term animal implantations, providing additional insight into the LEV-VAD configuration and implantability. Per the CFD results, the LEV-VAD produces 6 l/min and 100 mm Hg at a rotational speed of approximately 6300 rpm for steady flow conditions. The pressure-flow performance predictions demonstrated the VAD's ability to deliver adequate flow over physiologic pressures for reasonable rotational speeds with best efficiency points ranging from 25% to 30%. The CFD numerical estimations generally agree within 10% of the experimental measurements over the entire range of rotational speeds tested. Animal fit trials revealed that the LEV-VAD's size and configuration were adequate, requiring no alterations to cannulae configurations for future animal testing. These acceptable performance results for LEV-VAD design support proceeding with manufacturing of a prototype for extensive mock loop and initial acute animal testing.

The status of failure and reliability testing of artificial blood pumps.

Artificial blood pumps are today's most promising bridge-to-transplant, bridge-to-recovery, and destination therapy solutions for patients with congestive heart failure. There is a critical need for increased reliability and safety as the next generation of artificial blood pumps approach final development for long-term destination therapy. To date, extensive failure and reliability studies of these devices are considered intellectual property and thus remain unpublished. Presently, the Novacor N100PC, Thoratec VAD, and HeartMate LVAS (IP and XVE) comprise the only four artificial blood pumps commercially available for the treatment of congestive heart failure in the United States. The CardioWest TAH recently received premarket approval from the US Food and Drug Administration. With investigational device exemptions, the AB-180, AbioCor, LionHeart, DeBakey, and Flowmaker are approved for clinical testing. Other blood pumps, such as the American BioMed-Baylor TAH, CorAide, Cleveland Clinic-Nimbus TAH, HeartMate III, Hemadyne, and MagScrew TAH are currently in various stages of mock loop and animal testing, as indicated in published literature. This article extensively reviews in vitro testing, in vivo testing, and the early clinical testing of artificial blood pumps in the United States, as it relates to failure and reliability. This detailed literature review has not been published before and provides a thorough documentation of available data and testing procedures regarding failure and reliability of these various pumps.

Numerical and experimental analysis of an axial flow left ventricular assist device: the influence of the diffuser on overall pump performance.

Thousands of adult cardiac failure patients may benefit from the availability of an effective, long-term ventricular assist device (VAD). We have developed a fully implantable, axial flow VAD (LEV-VAD) with a magnetically levitated impeller as a viable option for these patients. This pump's streamlined and unobstructed blood flow path provides its unique design and facilitates continuous washing of all surfaces contacting blood. One internal fluid contacting region, the diffuser, is extremely important to the pump's ability to produce adequate pressure but is challenging to manufacture, depending on the complex blade geometries. This study examines the influence of the diffuser on the overall LEV-VAD performance. A combination of theoretical analyses, computational fluid (CFD) simulations, and experimental testing was performed for three different diffuser models: six-bladed, three-bladed, and no-blade configuration. The diffuser configurations were computationally and experimentally investigated for flow rates of 2-10 L/min at rotational speeds of 5000-8000 rpm. For these operating conditions, CFD simulations predicted the LEV-VAD to deliver physiologic pressures with hydraulic efficiencies of 15-32%. These numerical performance results generally agreed within 10% of the experimental measurements over the entire range of rotational speeds tested. Maximum scalar stress levels were estimated to be 450 Pa for 6 L/min at 8000 rpm along the blade tip surface of the impeller. Streakline analysis demonstrated maximum fluid residence times of 200 ms with a majority of particles exiting the pump in 80 ms. Axial fluid forces remained well within counter force generation capabilities of the magnetic suspension design. The no-bladed configuration generated an unacceptable hydraulic performance. The six-diffuser-blade model produced a flow rate of 6 L/min against 100 mm Hg for 6000 rpm rotational speed, while the three-diffuser-blade model produced the same flow rate and pressure rise for a rotational speed of 6500 rpm. The three-bladed diffuser configuration was selected over the six-bladed, requiring only an incremental adjustment in revolution per minute to compensate for and ease manufacturing constraints. The acceptable results of the computational simulations and experimental testing encourage final prototype manufacturing for acute and chronic animal studies.

Methods of failure and reliability assessment for mechanical heart pumps.

Artificial blood pumps are today's most promising bridge-to-recovery (BTR), bridge-to-transplant (BTT), and destination therapy solutions for patients suffering from intractable congestive heart failure (CHF). Due to an increased need for effective, reliable, and safe long-term artificial blood pumps, each new design must undergo failure and reliability testing, an important step prior to approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for clinical testing and commercial use. The FDA has established no specific standards or protocols for these testing procedures and there are only limited recommendations provided by the scientific community when testing an overall blood pump system and individual system components. Product development of any medical device must follow a systematic and logical approach. As the most critical aspects of the design phase, failure and reliability assessments aid in the successful evaluation and preparation of medical devices prior to clinical application. The extent of testing, associated costs, and lengthy time durations to execute these experiments justify the need for an early evaluation of failure and reliability. During the design stages of blood pump development, a failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) should be completed to provide a concise evaluation of the occurrence and frequency of failures and their effects on the overall support system. Following this analysis, testing of any pump typically involves four sequential processes: performance and reliability testing in simple hydraulic or mock circulatory loops, acute and chronic animal experiments, human error analysis, and ultimately, clinical testing. This article presents recommendations for failure and reliability testing based on the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Society for Thoracic Surgeons (STS) and American Society for Artificial Internal Organs (ASAIO), American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the Association for Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), and the Bethesda Conference. It further discusses studies that evaluate the failure, reliability, and safety of artificial blood pumps including in vitro and in vivo testing. A descriptive summary of mechanical and human error studies and methods of artificial blood pumps is detailed.

Transient and quasi-steady computational fluid dynamics study of a left ventricular assist device.

The HeartQuest continuous flow left ventricle assist device (LVAD) with a magnetically levitated impeller operates under highly transient flow conditions. Due to insertion of the in-flow cannula into the apex of the left ventricle, the inlet flow rate is transient because of ventricular contraction, and the pump's asymmetric circumferential configuration with five rotating blades forces blood intermittently through the pump to the great arteries. These two transient conditions correspond to time varying boundary conditions and transient rotational sliding interfaces in computational fluid dynamics (CFD). CFD was used to investigate the pump's performance under these dynamic flow conditions. A quasi-steady analysis was also conducted to evaluate the difference between the steady and transient analyses and demonstrate the significance of transient analysis, especially for transient rotational sliding interfaces transient simulations. This transient flow analysis can be applied generally in the design process of LVADs; it provides more reliable fluid forces and moments on the impeller for successful design of the magnetic suspension system and motor.

Computational analysis of an axial flow pediatric ventricular assist device.

Longer-term (>2 weeks) mechanical circulatory support will provide an improved quality of life for thousands of pediatric cardiac failure patients per year in the United States. These pediatric patients suffer from severe congenital or acquired heart disease complicated by congestive heart failure. There are currently very few mechanical circulatory support systems available in the United States as viable options for this population. For that reason, we have designed an axial flow pediatric ventricular assist device (PVAD) with an impeller that is fully suspended by magnetic bearings. As a geometrically similar, smaller scaled version of our axial flow pump for the adult population, the PVAD has a design point of 1.5 L/min at 65 mm Hg to meet the full physiologic needs of pediatric patients. Conventional axial pump design equations and a nondimensional scaling technique were used to estimate the PVAD's initial dimensions, which allowed for the creation of computational models for performance analysis. A computational fluid dynamic analysis of the axial flow PVAD, which measures approximately 65 mm in length by 35 mm in diameter, shows that the pump will produce 1.5 L/min at 65 mm Hg for 8000 rpm. Fluid forces (approximately 1 N) were also determined for the suspension and motor design, and scalar stress values remained below 350 Pa with maximum particle residence times of approximately 0.08 milliseconds in the pump. This initial design demonstrated acceptable performance, thereby encouraging prototype manufacturing for experimental validation.

Inlet and outlet devices for rotary blood pumps.

The purposes of inlet and outlet devices for rotary blood pumps, including inducers and diffusers for axial pumps, inlet and exit volutes for centrifugal pumps, and inlet and outlet cannulas, are to guide the blood into the impeller, where the blood is accelerated, and to convert the high kinetic energy into pressure after the impeller discharge, respectively. The designs of the inlet and outlet devices have an important bearing on the pump performance. Their designs are highly dependent on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, guided by intuition and experience. For inlet devices, the design objectives are to eliminate separated flow, to minimize recirculation, and to equalize the radial components of velocity. For outlet devices, the design goals are to reduce speed, to minimize energy loss, and to avoid flow separation and whirl. CFD analyses indicate the velocity field and pressure distribution. Geometrical optimization of these components has been implemented in order to improve the flow pattern.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) study of the 4th generation prototype of a continuous flow Ventricular Assist Device (VAD).

The continuous flow ventricular assist device (VAD) is a miniature centrifugal pump, fully suspended by magnetic bearings, which is being developed for implantation in humans. The CF4 model is the first actual prototype of the final design product. The overall performances of blood flow in CF4 have been simulated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software: CFX, which is commercially available from ANSYS Inc. The flow regions modeled in CF4 include the inlet elbow, the five-blade impeller, the clearance gap below the impeller, and the exit volute. According to different needs from patients, a wide range of flow rates and revolutions per minute (RPM) have been studied. The flow rate-pressure curves are given. The streamlines in the flow field are drawn to detect stagnation points and vortices that could lead to thrombosis. The stress is calculated in the fluid field to estimate potential hemolysis. The stress is elevated to the decreased size of the blood flow paths through the smaller pump, but is still within the safe range. The thermal study on the pump, the blood and the surrounding tissue shows the temperature rise due to magnetoelectric heat sources and thermal dissipation is insignificant. CFD simulation proved valuable to demonstrate and to improve the performance of fluid flow in the design of a small size pump.

Design and transient computational fluid dynamics study of a continuous axial flow ventricular assist device.

A ventricular assist device (VAD), which is a miniaturized axial flow pump from the point of view of mechanism, has been designed and studied in this report. It consists of an inducer, an impeller, and a diffuser. The main design objective of this VAD is to produce an axial pump with a streamlined, idealized, and nonobstructing blood flow path. The magnetic bearings are adapted so that the impeller is completely magnetically levitated. The VAD operates under transient conditions because of the spinning movement of the impeller and the pulsatile inlet flow rate. The design method, procedure, and iterations are presented. The VAD's performance under transient conditions is investigated by means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Two reference frames, rotational and stationary, are implemented in the CFD simulations. The inlet and outlet surfaces of the impeller, which are connected to the inducer and diffuser respectively, are allowed to rotate and slide during the calculation to simulate the realistic spinning motion of the impeller. The flow head curves are determined, and the variation of pressure distribution during a cardiac cycle (including systole and diastole) is given. The axial oscillation of impeller is also estimated for the magnetic bearing design. The transient CFD simulation, which requires more computer resources and calculation efforts than the steady simulation, provides a range rather than only a point for the VAD's performance. Because of pulsatile flow phenomena and virtual spinning movement of the impeller, the transient simulation, which is realistically correlated with the in vivo implant scenarios of a VAD, is essential to ensure an effective and reliable VAD design.

Studies of turbulence models in a computational fluid dynamics model of a blood pump.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used widely in design of rotary blood pumps. The choice of turbulence model is not obvious and plays an important role on the accuracy of CFD predictions. TASCflow (ANSYS Inc., Canonsburg, PA, U.S.A.) has been used to perform CFD simulations of blood flow in a centrifugal left ventricular assist device; a k-epsilon model with near-wall functions was used in the initial numerical calculation. To improve the simulation, local grids with special distribution to ensure the k-omega model were used. Iterations have been performed to optimize the grid distribution and turbulence modeling and to predict flow performance more accurately comparing to experimental data. A comparison of k-omega model and experimental measurements of the flow field obtained by particle image velocimetry shows better agreement than k-epsilon model does, especially in the near-wall regions.

Computational fluid dynamics prediction of blood damage in a centrifugal pump.

This study explores a quantitative evaluation of blood damage that occurs in a continuous flow left ventricular assist device due to fluid stress. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis is used to track the shear stress history of 388 particle streaklines. The accumulation of shear and exposure time is integrated along the streaklines to evaluate the levels of blood trauma. This analysis, which includes viscous and turbulent stresses, provides a statistical estimate of possible damage to cells flowing through the pump. In vitro normalized index of hemolysis values for clinically available ventricular assist devices were compared to our damage indices. This allowed for an order of magnitude comparison between our estimations and experimentally measured hemolysis levels, which resulted in a reasonable correlation. This work ultimately demonstrates that CFD is a convenient and effective approach to analyze the Lagranian behavior of blood in a heart assist device.

Axial flow blood pumps.

Each year, thousands of cardiac patients await healthy donor hearts for transplantation. Due to the current shortage of donor hearts (approximately 2300 per year), these patients often require supplemental circulatory support until a transplant becomes available. This supplemental support is often provided by a mechanical heart pump or left ventricular assist device (LVAD). This article explores one type of LVAD, specifically the design and development of axial flow ventricular assist devices (VAD). We discuss the design details, and experimental or clinical experience with the following axial flow support systems: Hemopump, MicroMed DeBakey VAD, Jarvik 2000, HeartMate II, Streamliner, Impella, Berlin INCOR I, Valvo pump, and IVAP. All of these devices demonstrate promise in providing bridge-to-transplant and ultimately destination therapy for adult cardiac failure patients.

A prototype HeartQuest ventricular assist device for particle image velocimetry measurements.

The objective of this study is to fully characterize the flow within the HeartQuest ventricular assist device (VAD), a magnetically levitated centrifugal VAD, using particle image velocimetry (PIV) to identify regions of potential high shear or stagnation and validate and refine computational models of the flow. An acrylic model of the pump was designed and constructed to allow optical access into all interior regions of the pump. The geometry of the exterior housing and the use of a novel working fluid make quantitative measurements of velocity within the exit volute, blade passage, cut-water, blade tip clearance, and pump inlet possible. Highly accurate velocity measurements using particle PIV have been made in one region (the inlet elbow), and measurements in the other critical regions of the pump will be made. These measurements are used for investigation of regions with potential for hemolysis resulting from high shear stress or with potential for thrombosis caused by recirculation or stagnation. Quantitative velocity data are also needed for comparison with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of the VAD. In this study, experiments have again proven to be an essential complement to CFD for thorough investigations of the flow inside the pump.