Computational analysis of an axial flow pediatric ventricular assist device
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Published on: January 16, 2026
Amy L Throckmorton1, Alexandrina Untaroiu, Paul E Allaire
1Biomedical Engineering Department, Virginia Artificial Heart Institute, University of Virgina, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA. alt2c@virginia.edu
Insights
A novel pediatric ventricular assist device (PVAD) offers improved quality of life for children with heart failure. This magnetically levitated axial flow pump shows promising performance for pediatric mechanical circulatory support.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cardiovascular Research
- Pediatric Cardiology
Background:
- Thousands of pediatric patients annually require mechanical circulatory support due to severe heart failure.
- Limited viable long-term mechanical circulatory support options exist for pediatric patients in the U.S.
- Congenital and acquired heart diseases significantly impact pediatric cardiac function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and computationally analyze an axial flow pediatric ventricular assist device (PVAD).
- To meet the physiological needs of pediatric patients requiring mechanical circulatory support.
- To provide a viable long-term solution for pediatric cardiac failure.
Main Methods:
- Utilized conventional axial pump design equations and nondimensional scaling.
- Developed computational models for performance analysis.
- Performed computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis on the PVAD design.
Main Results:
- The designed PVAD (65mm length x 35mm diameter) aims for 1.5 L/min at 65 mm Hg at 8000 rpm.
- CFD analysis indicates acceptable performance meeting design specifications.
- Calculated fluid forces and stress values are within acceptable limits for suspension and motor design.
Conclusions:
- The initial design of the pediatric ventricular assist device (PVAD) demonstrates promising performance.
- Further prototype manufacturing and experimental validation are warranted.
- This PVAD design could significantly improve quality of life for pediatric cardiac failure patients.
Abstract:
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.
