WHOLE FLOWFIELD PARTICLE IMAGE VELOCIMETRY MEASUREMENTS IN A 10 CC PULSATILE PEDIATRIC ASSIST PUMP

The analysis of a whole flowfield particle image velocimetry study of the 10 cc Penn State pulsatile pediatric ventricular assist device (PVAD) is presented. The pressures and flow through the PVAD are controlled with a mock circulatory loop. The blood analog (Sodium Iodide/Xanthan gum) solution is a good match for the viscoelastic properties of blood across the shear rate range. An earlier version of the Penn State PVAD has shown a much higher incidence of clot formation than does the adult pump from which it was derived. Therefore, a focus of the current study is on the wall shear stress. We identify regions of low wall shear stress throughout the pump cycle and suggest how the pump design might be geometrically modified to increase the flow rate there. In addition, we analyze the flow in the valve regions, as predicting the result of downsizing the valves from the adult pump is not straightforward.