A fluid–structure interaction framework for mechanical aortic valves: analyzing the effects of valve design and aortic curvature on hemodynamics

This study presents a comprehensive fluid–structure interaction (FSI) framework to evaluate how mechanical aortic valve (MHV) design and aortic root curvature influence hemodynamic performance. The authors used structural mechanics and fluid dynamics to simulate blood–valve interactions under physiologic conditions. Results from tests performed on the ViVitro Pulse Duplicator system (Nobili et al., 2008) were used to validate the FSI model. A model replicating the aortic root of the ViVitro Pulse Duplicator system was numerically reconstructed to perform studies, demonstrating that it is an industry standard for aortic root geometry. The work investigates multiple valve geometries and curved aortic configurations, allowing assessment of flow patterns, leaflet motion, and shear stresses. Findings highlight that both valve design and aortic root curvature substantially influence downstream hemodynamics, which has implications for thrombogenicity, durability, and device optimization. This study underscores the complementarity between in vitro and in silico modeling and illustrates how ViVitro Labs’ technology provides a trusted experimental benchmark for validating advanced computational models and accelerating device innovation.