Mean velocity measurements within a Penn State left ventricular assist device

A laser Doppler anemometer (LDA) was used to measure two components of the mean velocity vectors at over 125 locations within a 70-cm³ plexiglas model of the Penn State left ventricular assist device (LVAD). The model ventricle was filled with a blood analog fluid and operated at normal physiological conditions. The probe volume was positioned at the strategically selected locations along the inlet and outlet ports of the chamber and within the central volume of the pump. Mean velocities were determined at eight different times during the pump cycle averaging 250 realizations of each velocity component at the cycle times of interest. The results indicate characteristics flow patterns within the LVAD and areas which predominantly experience stasis or high velocities during the pump cycle