Effect of Continuous Arterial Blood Flow of Intra-Aorta Pump on the Aorta - A Computational Study

Abstract

In this study, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study based on a finite element method (FEM) was performed for the human aorta with four different flow time patterns (healthy to full intra-aorta pump support). Fully coupled fluid-solid interaction (FSI) simulation was used to investigate the flow profiles in the aortic arch and its branches where the maximum disturbed and non-uniform flow patterns, and the wall shear stress profiles on the same areas. The blood flow was assumed as a homogeneous, incompressible, and Newtonian fluid flow. Flow across four inlets of aortas was derived from a lumped parameter model (LPM). The inlet flow rate waveforms were divided by different blood assist index (BAI), and were calculated with the physiological information of a heart failure patient.