Evaluation of a fictitious domain method for predicting dynamic response of mechanical heart valves

Flow phenomena around heart valves are important for the motion of the valve leaflets, hence the dynamics of the valve. This work presents an evaluation of a two-dimensional moving rigid heart valve, in which a fictitious domain method is used to describe fluid-structure interaction. Valve motion and fluid flow around the valve were computed for several Reynolds and Strouhal numbers. Particle Image Velocimetry measurements in an in vitro experimental set-up were performed to validate the computational results. The influences of variations of the flow-pulse, expressed in Reynolds and Strouhal number, are well predicted by the computational method. As the fictitious domain method can readily be applied to fully three-dimensional fluid-structure interaction problems, this study indicates that this method is well suited for the analysis of valve dynamics and ventricular flow in physiologically realistic geometries. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.