Designing an Active Valvulated Outflow Conduit for a Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device to Increase Pulsatility: A Simulation Study

The purpose of this work was to investigate, using a lumped parameter model, the feasibility of increasing the pulsatility of a continuous-flow ventricular assist device (VAD) by implanting an active valvulated outflow cannula. A lumped parameter model was adopted for this study. VAD was modeled, starting from its pressure-flow characteristics. The valvulated outflow conduit was modeled as an active resistance described by a square function. Starting from pathologic condition, the following simulations were performed: VAD, VAD and valvulated outflow conduit in copulsation and counterpulsation with different ratios between the VAD valve opening rate and the heart rate, and asynchrony work with the heart with different VAD valve opening intervals. The copulsation 1:1 configuration and the asynchrony 0.3s-close–0.7s-open configurations permit to maximize the hemodynamic benefits provided by the presence of the active VAD outflow valvulated conduit providing an increase of arterial pulsatility from 1.86% to 14.98% without the presence of left ventricular output. The presence of the active VAD valve in the outflow conduit causes a decrement of the left ventricular unloading and of VAD flow and, that can be counteracted by increasing the VAD speed without affecting arterial pulsatility. The valvulated outflow tube provides an increase in arterial pulsatility; it can be driven in different working modality and can be potentially applicable to all types of VADs. However, the valvulated outflow conduit causes a decrement of left ventricular unloading and of the VAD flow that can be counteracted, increasing the VAD speed.