COMPUTER SIMULATION OF PLATELET ACTIVATION IN A PULSATILE VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICE, THROUGH FINITE ELEMENTS AND A SIMPLIFIED GEOMETRY

摘要

Ventricular assist devices are a technological solution for patients who suffer from cardiac insufficiency and await a transplant. In this work, a new design of an implantable pulsatile blood pump is analyzed in terms of blood damage, by means of finite elements on a simplified geometry. It is a double effect volumetric pump, which has a non contact driven piston and four active valves. The analysis is done by means of blood flow simulation into the pump and the prediction of platelets activation. The last is a measure of the pump compatibility with human life.