Thromboembolic events caused by implanted
cardiovascular devices present serious challenges to
surgeons and researchers alike. In particular
bileaflet mechanical heart valves are prone to
thrombus formation in the hinge region due to a
combination of high shear stress and stagnation
regions. It is desirable to study this phenomenon in
a more physiological environment. This research
presents models that isolate and mimic bileaflet
mechanical heart valve (BMHV) hinge geometries to
quantitatively characterize procoagulant potential in
a novel in vitro blood flow system. These results
were...