Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026
In Vitro Thrombosis Test for Ventricular Assist Devices
Published on: March 21, 2025
Thrombus formation patterns in the HeartMate II ventricular assist device: clinical observations can be predicted by
Wei-Che Chiu1, Marvin J Slepian, Danny Bluestein
1From the *Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York; and †Sarver Heart Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.
Abstract:
Postimplant device thrombosis remains a life-threatening complication and limitation of continuous-flow ventricular assist devices (VADs). Using advanced computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations, we successfully depicted various flow patterns, recirculation zones, and stagnant platelet trajectories which promote thrombus formation and observed that they matched actual thrombus formation patterns observed in Thoratec HeartMate II VADs explanted from patients with pump thrombosis. Previously, these small eddies could not be captured by either digital particle image velocimetry or CFD due to insufficient resolution. Our study successfully demonstrated the potential capability of advanced CFD to be adopted for device optimization, leading to enhanced safety and efficacy of VADs for long-term destination therapy.
