Effect of Fluid Viscosity on Noise of Bileaflet Prosthetic Heart Valve

Abstract

Background. Numerical simulation and experimental research have been used as powerful tools to understand and predict the behavior and mechanics of the operation of natural heart valves and their prostheses in natural and patho­logical conditions. Such studies help to evaluate the effectiveness of the valves, their design and the results of surgical procedures, to diagnose healthy and impaired function of the heart valves. There is an actual problem in creating more reliable methods and tools for the operation diagnostics of mechanical heart valves.Objective. The aim of the research is to investigate the effect of fluid viscosity on the hydroacoustic characteristics of jets that flow from a semi-closed and open mechanical bileaflet heart valve. To study the possibility of using hydro­acoustic measuring instruments as diagnostic equipment for determining the working conditions of the bileaflet pro­sthe­tic heart valve.Methods. The experimental research was carried out by means of hydroacoustic measurements of the hydrodynamic noise in the near wake of the side and central jets of the glycerin solution and the pure water flow downstream of the prosthetic bileaflet heart valve.Results. The effect of fluid viscosity on the hydroacoustic characteristics of the jets that flow from a semi-closed and open mechanical bileaflet heart valve has been experimentally determined. Integral and spectral characteristics of the hydrodynamic noise of jets of the glycerin solution and the pure water flow downstream of the bileaflet mitral heart valve for different fluid rate were detected.Conclusions. In the stream conditions of pure water, the integral characteristics of the pressure field are lower than in stream conditions of the aqueous glycerin solution. As the glycerin concentration in the solution increases, increase average pressures and especially RMS pressure fluctuations. The spectral levels of the hydrodynamic noise in the near wake of the side jet of the glycerin solution are lower than for water flow in the frequency ranges from 1 to 7-8 Hz and from 100 to 1000 Hz for fluid rate 5 l/min. For higher fluid rates, the spectral components of the hydrodynamic noise in the near wake of the side jet of the glycerin solution of the semi-closed mitral valve are higher than that for the pure water. The greatest difference (1.5–1.8 times) in the spectral levels is observed in the frequency range from 10 to 100 Hz for the fluid rate 15 l/min.