This paper describes the use of two simple electromagnetic methods for detecting strut fractures in prosthetic heart valves. The first method involves immersing the heart valve in a uniform time-varying electromagnetic field and measuring the perturbation of the field in regions proximate to the strut. In vitro tests done to date indicate that the method is capable of discriminating between intact and fractured struts. The second method that is currently being investigated involves the use of electromagnetic-acoustic transduction methods for exciting the resonant modes of the outlet strut. Differences between the frequencies associated with the resonant modes of intact and fractured struts are exploited to diagnose the state of the valve.
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