Wrinkle-induced tear in the mitral valve leaflet tissue: a computational model

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Computational Mechanics
• Cardiovascular Research

Background:

• Prosthetic heart valves are crucial for treating valvular heart disease.
• Existing prosthetic valves face challenges with durability and leaflet integrity.
• Wrinkles in prosthetic mitral valve leaflets can lead to high-stress zones and potential failure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a numerical platform for detecting high-stress zones in prosthetic mitral valves.
• To identify critical locations for potential leaflet ruptures, specifically at wrinkle bases.
• To enhance the design of synthetic biomaterial prosthetic heart valves.

Main Methods:

• Development of a finite element model for the human mitral valve.
• Creation of a mesh model to represent uneven stress distribution and high-stress concentration.
• Utilizing an anisotropic and hyperelastic constitutive material model for valve leaflets and cords.
• Implementing a novel computational model for simulating leaflet wrinkles during the closing phase.

Main Results:

• The numerical model effectively identified high-stress zones in prosthetic mitral valve leaflets.
• The base of existing wrinkles was confirmed as a high-risk location for leaflet tears.
• The model provided a precise assessment of rip and tear locations during valve closure.

Conclusions:

• The proposed numerical platform is essential for assessing prosthetic heart valve leaflet integrity.
• This tool aids in the design of improved materials and geometries for polymer and tissue-based prosthetic valves.
• The findings contribute to enhancing the safety and longevity of mitral position prosthetic heart valves.