Clot growth under periodically fluctuating shear rate

The pivot wash in two impeller modes for the Baylor/Miwatec centrifugal blood pump

A centrifugal blood pump with a double pivot impeller and an eccentric inlet port is being developed as an implantable artificial heart by the Baylor College of Medicine and Miwatec Co. Ltd. Flow visualization measurements were conducted to compare the flow around the pivot for two impeller operational modes: the top and the bottom contact modes. In the top contact mode, one-way flow in the pivot gap due to the eccentric vortex was observed, and sufficient wall shear rate to prevent thrombus formation was attained around the bottom pivot for over 1,400 rpm. Computational fluid dynamic analyses confirmed that the causes of the eccentric vortex were the inlet eccentricity and the pressure imbalance in the volute.

Flow visualization in a centrifugal blood pump with an eccentric inlet port

Flow visualization analysis was applied to the Baylor/Miwatec centrifugal artificial heart to evaluate its fluid dynamic characteristics regarding antithrombogenicity. An eccentric vortex was found both in the upper and the lower gaps of the impeller, which is supposed to be caused by the eccentric inlet port. Therefore, one-way flow toward the outlet is formed and washes the pivot. The combination of an eccentric vortex and a pivot bearing that is washed is unique to the Baylor/Miwatec pump. For the male pivots exposed to periodic wash, the minimum shear rate around the bottom pivot was estimated to be 650/s, which is higher than the threshold for thrombus formation shown by other studies. The wall shear rate at the impeller bottom surface was found to be larger in the top contact mode than in the bottom contact mode.

A Comparative Study Between Flow Visualization and Computational Fluid Dynamic Analysis for the Sun Medical Centrifugal Blood Pump

Flow visualization experiments and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analyses were performed and the results were compared to clarify the detailed fluid dynamic characteristics for the prototype design of a centrifugal pump, namely, an implantable ventricular assist system from Sun Medical, whose hemocompatibility was previously demonstrated in a series of animal experiments. The flow visualization was conducted with particle tracking velocimetry, and the CFD analysis was performed with STAR-CD software. The findings were as follows: (1). There were no flow separations around the curved open impeller. (2). Antithrombogenic design concepts for the inducer and the vane-shaft clearance were effective in producing axial velocity along the shaft surface and generat-ing suitable shear rates against the stationary fluid. (3). Unsteady vortex shedding in the outlet, which adversely affected the fluid dynamic efficiency, was observed clearly by flow visualization. Comparison of velocity distribution measured by flow visualization and CFD analysis showed reasonably good correlation. Our findings indicate that the impeller is suitable for an implantable artificial heart. The techniques of flow visualization and CFD analysis are complementary evaluation tools in research and development efforts.