Experimental Validation of Fluid Dynamic Numerical Models in Blood Pump Simulation

Heart disease affects millions of people each year. However, only a limited number of people benefit from a heart transplant due to the scarce supply of donor hearts. Ventricular assist devices (VADs) provide an alternative way to augment or replace the function of one or more chambers of a failing heart. Fluid dynamics in these devices plays a key role in their function and blood biocompatibility. Although current devices are more biocompatible than their forerunners, they still cause blood damage, such as hemolysis, platelet activation, thrombosis and embolization, which may result in serious clinical events and are directly related to fluid dynamics and artificial materials of these devices. Significant research efforts have been devoted to studying the device-blood interactions and minimizing these non-physiological fluid dynamic conditions to improve the functional characteristics and bio/hemo-compatibility of these medical devices.