Effect of Arched Leaflets and Stent Profile on the Hemodynamics of Tri-Leaflet Flexible Polymeric Heart Valves

Polymeric heart valves (PHV) can be engineered to serve as alternatives for existing prosthetic valves due to higher durability and hemodynamics similar to bioprosthetic valves. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of geometry on PHVs coaptation and hemodynamic performance. The two geometric factors considered are stent profile and leaflet arch length, which were varied across six valve configurations. Three models were created with height to diameter ratio of 0.6, 0.7, and 0.88. The other three models were designed by altering arch height to stent diameter ratio, to be 0, 0.081, and 0.116. Particle image velocimetry experiments were conducted on each PHV to characterize velocity, vorticity, turbulent characteristics, effective orifice area, and regurgitant fraction. This study revealed that the presence of arches as well as higher stent profile reduced regurgitant flow down to 5%, while peak systole downstream velocity reduced to 58% and Reynolds Shear Stress values reduced 40%. Further, earlier reattachment of the forward flow jet was observed in PHVs with leaflet arches. These findings indicate that although both geometric factors help diminish the commissural gap during diastole, leaflet arches induce a larger jet opening, yielding to earlier flow reattachment and lower energy dissipation.