Flow visualization for different port angles of a pulsatile ventricular assist device

The "washout effect" inside a blood pump may depend in part on the configuration of the blood pump, including its "port angle." The port angle, which is primarily decided based on anatomical considerations, may also be important from the rheological viewpoint. In our department, a next-generation diaphragm-type blood pump is being developed. In this study, we examined the influence of the port angle on flow conditions inside our new blood pump. Acrylic resin mock pumps with three different port angles (0°, 30°, and 45°) were prepared for flow visualization. Mechanical monoleaflet valves were mounted on the inlet and outlet ports of the mock pumps. Flow conditions within the mock pumps were visualized by means of particle image velocimetry during a half stroke. As a result, a high flow velocity region was seen along the main circular flow from the inlet to the outlet port. This circular flow was almost uniform and parallel to the plane of the diaphragm-housing junction (DhJ) when viewed from the inlet and outlet sides. Moreover, the proportion of high flow velocity vectors in the plane in the vicinity of the DhJ decreased as the degree of the port angle increased. In conclusion, we found that the flow behavior in the plane in the vicinity of the DhJ changed with the port angle, and that a port angle of 0° may be suitable for our diaphragm-type blood pump in view of the washout effect.