Abstract
Thromboembolism is a common complication of mechanical heart valves (MHV). The objective of this study was to elucidate mechanisms of thromboembolism in flow past MHV in vitro. Gel-filtered platelets were recirculated through the MHV mounted in a model of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) and their activation was measured by using an innovative platelet activity state (PAS) assay. The motion of one MHV in LVAD was restricted by suture, and LVAD with free MHV was considered as control. The platelet activation increased as a function of the recirculation time past the valve, and the restricted valve had a higher activation rate as compared to controls. Flow cytometry was conducted to compare the results obtained from PAS assay.
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