DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF INFLOW CANNULAE FOR LEFT VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICE

Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) is a mechanical circulatory device used to support failed hearts. Due to the scarcity of donor hearts, patients depend on LVADs which pushes blood from left ventricle to the aorta. The inflow cannula is the connection between the apex of left ventricle and the pump of LVAD. The tip structure of the inflow cannula is responsible for many adverse events like obstruction of blood flow and suction of left ventricle, which later leads to device failure. In this paper, study is made on the blood flow characteristics in the inflow cannulae of LVAD using COMSOL Multiphysics simulation software. Four types of inflow cannulae, namely blunt tip, beveled tip, caged tip and trumpet tip were designed and their performances were compared. Their velocity and pressure profiles proved that the trumpet tip cannula is the best of all the other cannulae for uninterrupted blood flow, and hence overcoming thrombus formation and obstruction