Visualization of vortex shedding at the proximal side-to-end artery-graft anastomosis

The motion of guanine particles was recorded by video to visualize transitional flow phenomena in models of a proximal side-to-end anastomosis. Close examination of successive video fields revealed that above a critical Reynolds number, particles were periodically shed into the graft from a vortex situated near the anastomosis heel, and this disturbed the flow patterns in the graft causing vortex shedding to occur near to the toe of the anastomosis. The images clearly demonstrated that periodic flow structures propagated distally along the graft for over 15 tube diameters from the proximal anastomosis. The frequency of the vortex shedding was found to increase with Reynolds number. Under pulsatile conditions, the primary vortex at the heel of the anastomosis became unstable during the deceleration phase of the flow cycle and particles were shed downstream into the graft. Although it was possible briefly to observe the characteristic banded structure in the bypass graft, the flow patterns were highly three-dimensional and were quickly broken up by the accelerating flow. Dynamic flow visualization using guanine particles was found to be a complementary technique to particle tracer flow visualization and was highly effective in identifying transitional flow phenomena and the mass transport mechanisms associated with them.