Fluid dynamics studies of cardiovascular medical devices and blood damage prediction

The implantation of cardiovascular devices such as prosthetic heart valves, even though very common in the clinical domain, is still not free from complications. Thromboembolic events and hemolysis are the major clinical problems that can occur, upon implantation. In this paper, we analyze the role of the particular fluid dynamics associated to such devices, in relation to the clinical outcome. A major issue, still debated, is the way to correlate the experimental findings with blood damage. The availability of advanced techniques such as LDA or PIV is necessary to evaluate the hemodynamical performance of a given implantable device at the local level and to draw reliable conclusions about potentially adverse clinical effects.