Hemodynamics and mechanical behaviors of aortic heart valves: A numerical evaluation

This study investigates the hemodynamics of aortic heart valves under normal conditions as well as two severe diseases, which would be fundamentals for an assessment of mechanical behaviors of polyurethane (PU) prosthetic heart valves. Analysis results highlight that leaflet opening situation and valve geometry affect the shear stress distribution and vortex flow regime. The interactive impact between low and high wall shear stress on relation to heart valve diseases have been also demonstrated. The results show that low density PU material achieves good hydrodynamic function but produces high stress, while high density PU resists motion of leaflet but reduces the stress significantly. This study also proves that low Young´s modulus PU leaflets achieve good hydrodynamic function while reducing the stress exerted upon the leaflets, and vice versa for high Young´s modulus.