Computational fluid dynamics based design of artificial heart - An axial flow pump as a right ventricular assist device -

Abstract

In recent years, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been used for the design of rotary blood pumps. The secondary flow in the pump, especially between the blades, can be simulated by CFD and more precise prediction of pump performance at design and off-design points can be made. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is engaged in establishing guidelines for the usage of CFD in the research and development phase of medical devices in order to help speed up the FDA approval process. The utilization of CFD in the field of medical device development is expected to increase further. Here, we will introduce the usage of CFD analysis for the design of an axial flow blood pump as a right ventricular assist device.