A comparison of five mechanical heart valves investigated in a pulse duplicator system with flexible vessels
Heiliger, R.; Mittermayer, C.
Biomedizinische Technik. Biomedical Engineering 32(1-2): 9-15
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0013-5585 PMID: 3567284 Document Number: 289370
In order to determine the effectiveness of mechanical heart valves, two different types of mechanical heart valves, three tilting disc values (BS-SD, BS-CCD, BS-M) and two bileaflet valves (St. Jude Medical, Duromedics) all with the same size of annulus diameter-dA = 29 mm-were investigated in the mitral position of a mock circulation under pulsatile flow conditions. Flow, pressure, and orifice area were measured. Insufficiency, mean orifice area, discharge coefficient, performance index and efficiency index was calculated. The tilting disc valves investigated are associated with a smaller reflux volume and than insufficiency than the bileaflet valves. The bileaflet valves have greater orifice areas, and thus smaller pressure drops, than the tilting disc valves. The St. Jude Medical valve has the largest orifice areas, but also the highest reflux volume and insufficiency. The insufficiency of the Duromedics valve is slightly higher than that of the tilting disc valves. The orifice area of the Duromedics is greater than that of the tilting disc valves and smaller than that of the St. Jude Medical valves. Although the bileaflet valves have the better efficiency index, none of the valve types is superior in all hydrodynamic criteria. Both valve types-the bileaflet valves and the tilting disc valves-have different hydrodynamic advantages and disadvantages.