title: Mechanical heart valve performance in a pulsatile pediatric ventricular assist device.
abstract: A pulsatile pediatric ventricular assist device with a dynamic stroke volume of 12 ml is currently under development at the Pennsylvania State University. A monoleaflet valve (Björk-Shiley Monostrut) and a bileaflet valve (CPHV, CarboMedics Prosthetic Heart Valve) were examined in this study. A high-speed video and data acquisition system was used to simultaneously record video images, pressure waveforms, and flow waveforms for an array of in vitro test conditions that varied heart rate and systolic duration. The CPHV in both the horizontal and vertical orientations have larger regurgitant volumes than the Monostrut valves at all operating conditions in both the inlet and outlet positions. However, the CPHV has higher stroke volumes and cardiac outputs than the Monostrut valve at higher heart rates and longer systolic durations. In addition, the hydrodynamic performance of the Monostrut valve is more sensitive to changes in operating conditions for the pulsatile pediatric ventricular assist device than the CPHV in both orientations. Additional testing is under way to identify the optimal operating conditions for each type of valve.
authors.affiliation: Division of Artificial Organs, Department of Surgery, Penn State College of Medicine, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA.
authors.forename: Conrad M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Zapanta
authors.forename: LeAnn M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Dourte
authors.forename: Bradley J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Doxtater
authors.forename: Branka
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lukic
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Weiss
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D006339:Heart Rate; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013599:Systole