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Updated: Mar 19, 2026

Protocol for Relative Hydrodynamic Assessment of Tri-leaflet Polymer Valves
Published on: October 17, 2013
A Newly Developed Tri-Leaflet Polymeric Heart Valve Prosthesis
Francesco De Gaetano1, Paola Bagnoli1, Adriano Zaffora1
1Department of Chemistry Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta" Politecnico di Milano Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy.
Abstract:
The potential of polymeric heart valves (PHV) prostheses is to combine the hemodynamic performances of biological valves with the durability of mechanical valves. The aim of this work is to design and develop a new tri-leaflet prosthetic heart valve (HV) made from styrenic block copolymers. A computational finite element model was implemented to optimize the thickness of the leaflets, to improve PHV mechanical and hydrodynamic performances. Based on the model outcomes, 8 prototypes of the designed valve were produced and tested in vitro under continuous and pulsatile flow conditions, as prescribed by ISO 5840 Standard. A specially designed pulse duplicator allowed testing the PHVs at different flow rates and frequency conditions. All the PHVs met the requirements specified in ISO 5840 Standard in terms of both regurgitation and effective orifice area (EOA), demonstrating their potential as HV prostheses.
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