L. Kadem (Canada/France), D. Garcia (Canada), R. Rieu (France), L.G. Durand, and P. Pibarot (Canada)
PIV, POD, hemodynamics, aortic valve *Lyes KADEM, PhD, Eng Biomedical Engineering Laboratory Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal 110 avenue des Pins O H2W 1R7, QC, Canada email: [email protected] Tel: 1 (514) 987 5722
The aortic valve is located between the left ventricle and the aorta. Its role is to maintain the anterograde flow during ventricular ejection and prevent retrograde flow during ventricular filling. It is commonly accepted that the opening process of the aortic valve is driven by the positive pressure gradient between the left ventricle (LV) and the ascending aorta during LV ejection. However, it persists some controversies with regards to the role of the vortices developed in the Valsalva sinuses in the optimization of the aortic valve closure. In the present study, we analyzed the flow dynamics downstream of a bioprosthetic valve using particle image velocimetry (PIV) and proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) on a pulsatile mock flow. The PIV measurements were performed at 12 instants during the systolic phase. The results of this study show that the valve closure process starts well before the transvalvular pressure gradient reversal, and that large scale coherent structures exist within the flow field. These coherent structures influence the flow configuration downstream of the bioprosthetic heart valve.
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