Comparative Fluid-Structure Interaction Analysis of Polymeric Transcatheter and Surgical Aortic Valves’ Hemodynamics and Structural Mechanics

...All currently FDA-approved TAVR devices use tissue valves that were adapted to but not specifically designed for TAVR use. Emerging clinical evidence indicates that these valves may get damaged during crimping and deployment- leading to valvular calcification, thrombotic complications, and limited durability... ...Our research group has developed a novel polymeric prosthetic valve, which was optimized to reduce stresses on the leaflets, improve hemodynamics and has thrombogenic performance similar to that of a tissue valve... … The valves are then sutured to a nitinol stent for completion of the process. The valves' durability is now being assessed using a Vivitro Hi-Cycle System (Vivitro Labs, Inc … Hydrodynamic performance is being evaluated using the Vivitro left heart simulator (Vivitro Labs, Inc …