A CFD based analysis of the influence of IC angulation on blood stagnation for Left Ventricular Assist Device implantation

Implantation of a left ventricular assist device is associated with serious thrombogenic complications. Anecdotal evidence suggests that angulation of the inflow cannula (IC) may increase the risk of blood coagulation. In this sense, we are interested in the efficiency of the CFD in the development of a marker capable of analyzing blood stagnation related to an IC angulation. A 2D geometric model inspired by clinical data has been proposed. It takes into account the ventricular shape as well as the IC angulation. The combination of the investigated features (vortex, blood velocity and virtual ink concentration) is used to assess the risk of blood stagnation. We observe an influence of IC angulation on blood stagnation risk which values are on average 2.5 higher among patients with pump thrombosis. Obtained results seem to be consistent with the clinical outcome.