Design and analysis of a totally implantable self-driving venous assist assist device for fontan patients

Palliative repair of single ventricle defects involves a series of open-heart surgeries where a single-ventricle (Fontan) circulation is established. As the patient ages, this paradoxical circulation gradually fails, because of its high venous pressure levels. Reversal of the Fontan paradox requires

Project Title

Design and analysis of a totally implantable self-driving venous assist assist device for fontan patients

Project Area of Specialization

Mechanical Engineering

Project Summary

Palliative repair of single ventricle defects involves a series of open-heart surgeries where a single-ventricle (Fontan) circulation is established. As the patient ages, this paradoxical circulation gradually fails, because of its high venous pressure levels. Reversal of the Fontan paradox requires an extra subpulmonic energy that can be provided through mechanical assist devices.

The objective of this project is to design, analyze and evaluate the hydraulic and hemolytic  performance of a totally implantable integrated aortic-turbine venous-assist (iATVA) system, which does not need an external drive power and maintains low venous pressure chronically, for the Fontan circulation.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a powerful tool to virtually characterize different designs of turbomachinery of all types including turbines and pumps. Design and analysis of a blood turbine coupled with a centrifugal pump, acting as a venous assist device will be done to find the optimal design with reduced hemolysis and other related risks. Computational fluid dynamics analysis will be performed on different initial designs. A stress based CFD code to estimate the quantitative hemolysis will also be implemented. The best design with aortic steal in a safe range and optimum performance will be selected. The best design, then, will be manfactured for further experimentation.

Project Objectives

• Understanding the key processes involved in the phenomenon of blood pumping and turbine’s operation
• CAD models of the initial design
• Design and analysis of a totally implantable integrated aortic-turbine venous-assist (iATVA) with best hemodynamic performance
• Implementing stress based CFD code to estimate the quantitative hemolysis
• Fabrication and experimentation on the real time iATVA device

Project Implementation Method

• Literature review
• CAD modelling
• Computational modelling and CFD analysis
• Writing the code for the hemolysis prediction
• Comparing the results for the selection of optimum design
• Fabrication of the device with optimum design
• Thesis writing

Benefits of the Project

• Worldwide over 1 million children are born each year with congenital heart anomalies. A special heterogeneous subset of this group encompasses babies born with malformations of their heart chambers and connecting vessels who have only one functional ventricle. The incidence of patients born with functional univentricular physiology is approximately 2 per every 1000 births. Without surgical intervention, this combination of cardiac anomalies is fatal within the first 2 weeks of life. For these patients, the current treatment paradigm consists of three staged, open heart surgeries, which culminate in the Fontan physiology, as originally described in 1971 for patients with tricuspid atresia. This gives rise to the need of mechanical circulatory support devices. All previously designed and available Fontan Assist Devices (FVADs) are externally powered and very expensive. This initial design and analysis study will pave the way for future research and eventually a locally designed and manufactured totally implantable integrated aortic-turbine venous-assist (iATVA) system that will save a lot of lives.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

• Development of computational model and code for optimized design for a totally implantable integrated aortic-turbine venous-assist (iATVA) system based on aortic steal, hydraulic and hemolytic performance, and its fabrication.

Final Deliverable of the Project

Hardware System

Core Industry

Medical

Other Industries

Health

Core Technology

Wearables and Implantables

Other Technologies

Clean Tech

Sustainable Development Goals

Good Health and Well-Being for People, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Life on Land

Required Resources

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