Logo image
The mechanics of spiral flow: Enhanced washout and transport
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

The mechanics of spiral flow: Enhanced washout and transport

Pablo Huang Zhang, Colin Tkatch, Robert Newman, William Grimme, Dmitri Vainchtein and J Yasha Kresh
Artificial organs, v 43(12), pp 1144-1153
Dec 2019
PMID: 31211870
url
https://doi.org/10.1111/aor.13520View
Accepted (AM)Open Access (Publisher-Specific) Open

Abstract

Arteries - physiology Blood Flow Velocity Computer Simulation Heart-Assist Devices Hemodynamics Humans Hydrodynamics Models, Cardiovascular Printing, Three-Dimensional Prosthesis Design Shear Strength Stress, Mechanical
Spiral/helical forms of blood flow have been observed in large arteries of the cardiovascular system, but their benefits remain underappreciated. Spiral flow has been postulated to improve near-wall washout, promoting anti-atherothrombotic conditions. This research aims to study the washout characteristics of spiral flow, specifically, its ability to increase velocity and wall shear stress (WSS) in atherothrombotic-prone regions. Using 1.2 cm diameter angled test-conduits (45°, 90°, 135°) with known recirculation/stasis regions at the bend corners, spiral flow washout potential was evaluated in terms of low velocity and low WSS. Two sub-studies were conducted: the first utilized a spiral flow-inducing device to enable qualitative analysis of washout-potential in both computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations and benchtop ultrasound visualization; the second used CFD to study the impact of several induced helical wavelengths on the conduit-dependent recirculation/stasis zones. Physical models of the angled conduits and spiral flow-inducer were 3D-printed to facilitate ultrasound visualization. Compared to straight flow, spiral flow generated by the flow-inducer significantly cleared the recirculation/stasis zones at the corners of the angled conduits. CFD simulations demonstrated that past a geometry-dependent threshold, increased helical content improved washout, denoted by decreased regions of low velocity and low WSS. Overall, spiral flow markedly improved washout in difficult to reach areas in the angled conduits. This has several important clinical implications: spiral flow shows great promise in reducing blood-transport-related complications and can be used to enhance the performance of future medical devices (eg grafts, mechanical circulatory support devices, hemodialysis access ports).

Metrics

26 Record Views
10 citations in Scopus

Details

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

InCites Highlights

Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:

Web of Science research areas
Engineering, Biomedical
Transplantation
Logo image