Importance of Shear in Prosthetic Valve Closure Dynamics

The results of recent hematological studies have suggested that, under non-physiological flow conditions, circulating procoagulant proteins activate the coagulation cascade. In the present study, in-vitro estimates of flow transients at or near the time of valve closure, including regional backflow velocity (RBV, m/s), flow acceleration (m/s2), and rate of acceleration (jerk, m/s3), have shed new light on the blood-damage potential of prosthetic valves.