A comparison of the hydrodynamical behaviour of three heart aortic prostheses by numerical methods

Abstract

The behaviour of the blood flow passing through artificial heart valves in aortic position is numerically simulated by discretizing the Navier-Stokes equations for viscous incompressible flow through the finite element method. Three different artificial valves, Starr-Edwards, St Jude and disc valves, are modelled by using the finite element method as well as the Navier—Stokes equations for viscous incompressible flow. The blood flow behaviour is characterized by discretizing both planar and axisymmetric domains of the valve devices. The streamlines as well as the velocity distributions are studied and compared. Likewise, the pressure patterns are analysed and compared. Some numerical examples of the three valves are presented and discussed herein.