Scandinavian Real Heart

The researcher group, led by K. Fraser, at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Bath, have created an efficient and accurate method for simulating two mechanical heart valves in series, a fundamental requirement for simulations of the Realheart® TAH (Total Artificial Heart). The team has achieved this by using sophisticated CFD tools (overset meshing together with a blend of weak and strong coupling) to generate accurate calculations of the fluid shear stress in critical regions during the opening and closing of mechanical heart valves. By doing so, the scientists were able to balance the computational efficiency needed to simulate the whole Realheart® TAH with the accuracy required to resolve the dynamics of blood flow.

"Heart valves are notoriously difficult to model. The Realheart® TAH contains a two valves in series design so that the up and down movement of the first valve creates the pressures that moves the second valve. This makes computational modelling more complex," commented Ina Laura Perkins, CEO of Realheart and one of the co-authors of the study. "The model published here is the foundation for the Realheart® TAH computational modelling methodology developed by the Company that was recently published in Nature Scientific Reports (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-32141-2). Developing and using such breakthrough computational modelling tools enables us to learn more from simulations, thus saving significant development and testing time and resources," Ina Laura Perkins, added.

Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering Publishes research on computational biomechanics and biomedical engineering, including cell mechanics, biofluids, hemodynamics, modeling, design and assessment. It is affiliated with the European Society of Biomechanics and published by Taylor & Francis. The article can be accessed here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10255842.2023.2199903