Influence of geometric parameters of ventricular assist device pumps on hemolytic performance

This paper presents an analysis of the impact of ventricular assist device (VAD) pump geometry on hemolytic performance. The relevance of the study is driven by the necessity to improve existing pumps, design new pumps, and address the lack of research on the correlation between pump geometry and hemolysis. The prototype is an axial four-blade ventricular assist pump currently used in clinical practice. To conduct the analysis, hydrodynamic modelling of fluid flow in the pump was performed using the finite volume method in OpenFOAM11. The numerical simulations were carried out using MRF and NonConformalCoupling technologies along with the LowRe k-ω SST turbulence model. It has been found that reducing the outer diameter, increasing the hub skew angle, and increasing the hub diameter lead to a lower total hemolysis index at a flow rate of 2.4 L/min, similarly, increasing the hub skew angle and reducing the outer diameter decrease total hemolysis index at a flow rate of 5.4 L/min. The findings of the study provide practical value for the design and modernization of axial pumps in ventricular assist devices.

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