The main goal of mechanical heart valve research is to create an implantable device capable of replacingdiseased or failing native heart valves. Complications such as thromboemboli formation, hemolysis, valvepitting and failure, clot formation, stable bubble generation and an increased risk of stroke have all beenlinked with mechanical heart valves. Cavitation, defined as tho formation and collapse of vaporous bubblesdue to a rapid local pressure drop, has been linked to several <jjf these damaging occurrences. Theproposed work will involve isolating the cavitation signal to better quantify the amount, strength, and type ofcavitation produced by different loading conditions, valve geometries and implanted materials. Specifically,a novel method will be developed which implements wavelets o deconstruct, denoise, and then rebuild theacoustic signal associated with mechanical valve closure and rebound. This procedure will be implementedfirst in vitro, in degassed water, and then in vivo, in pig models in order to better understand whichmechanical designs and experimental conditions are most beneficial for patients needing heart valvereplacements.
| Herbertson, L H; Deutsch, S; Manning, K B (2011) Near valve flows and potential blood damage during closure of a bileaflet mechanical heart valve. J Biomech Eng 133:094507 |
| Herbertson, Luke H; Deutsch, Steven; Manning, Keefe B (2008) Modifying a tilting disk mechanical heart valve design to improve closing dynamics. J Biomech Eng 130:054503 |
