Aortic valve dynamics using a fluid structure interaction model--The physiology of opening and closing

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cardiovascular Research
• Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Current pressure and flow boundary conditions are insufficient for unbiased aortic valve analysis.
• A need exists for a more relevant and unbiased boundary condition to study aortic valves in their natural environment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a new combined boundary condition for aortic valve analysis.
• To compare the performance of the proposed boundary condition against traditional methods using fluid-structure interaction analysis.

Main Methods:

• A novel boundary condition was developed by combining pressure and flow methods.
• Fluid-structure interaction analysis was performed using commercial software LS-DYNA.
• The proposed and pressure boundary conditions were applied to a normal aortic valve model.

Main Results:

• The proposed boundary condition resulted in full valve opening and reduced regurgitation.
• Marginal increases in ventricular pressure led to considerable increases in cardiac output.
• Valve mechanics were similar, but the proposed method highlighted the importance of the nodule of Arantius over root effects for cardiac output.

Conclusions:

• The proposed boundary condition offers an unbiased framework for comparative aortic valve analysis.
• It provides insights comparable to existing methods while improving upon their limitations.
• This approach is more suitable for accurate comparative studies of different aortic valves.