Dynamic Imaging of Heart Valves

Development of replacement heart valves is a significant challenge area. Developing bespoke valve geometries to fit an individual's cardiac output is the ideal scenario. Parameterized heart valve geometries have been used here to create silicone model valves. These were tested to demonstrate the mechanical behavior of a given valve geometry in a given flow. High-speed digital image correlation was used to map the interesting closing behavior driven by the geometry and consistent material properties.

The framework proof-of-concept was delivered by Summer Placement Students Michael Darcy, Jack Davies, Elysia Geeves & Carol Ling, extended by PhD Students Thomas Pritchard and Louis Giron.