Session: 03-02-01 Bio-Inspired and Biomedical Fluid Mechanics

Paper Number: 87419

87419 - Designing an Experimental Setup for Analyzing the Flow Through a 3D Printed Venous Valve System From Arthroscopic Images Networks 

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a silent killer with millions of fatalities worldwide and showing a significantly higher rate at post-Covid19 per CDC. In DVT, the condition starts with a thrombus, typically in a person’s leg, with minimal-to-no manifestations in the beginning.  The venous valve consists of a pair of leaflets working with the muscular system to prevent the reverse/backward blood flow and thus protect from potentially damaging veins by reducing clotting.  Leaflet morphology plays an important role in valve function; however, the effects of leaflet damage on valve function have not been fully explored. In this paper, we designed an experimental setup to investigate the residence time of fluid trapped in the valve pockets using a 3D printed valve extracted from arthroscopic images and controlled fluid flow conditions mimicking the phasic nature of the blood flow in human beings.  The visualization and key parameters of the flow through the realistic 3D printed venous valve are investigated with well-designed experiments. We will present the qualitative and quantitative assessment of flow in the valve pocket for different types of valves.  

Presenting Author: Alan Rascon University of Texas at El Paso