Going with the Flow

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in much of the world. Heart transplants may be an option for some patients. But with a limited number of heart donors per year, plus the associated risks, transplantation isn't always the best solution. As a result, the use of heart device implants has become more common. However, they have their own set of engineering issues.

The challenge comes when complications crop up in patients with these devices. While doctors can use ultrasound scans to view potential problems with the heart and circulatory system, the scans can't help pinpoint the causes of problems related to blood flow when an implant is present. Recent findings from a European study suggest that some answers may come from, of all places, a technology that is also used in aerodynamics.

Particle image velocimetry (PIV) systems have many engineering applications, from analyzing waves caused by landslides to measuring airflow over aircraft wings. As part of the Smart-PIV project, sponsored by Italian engineering firm
D'Appolonia S.A., LaVision, a builder of laser imaging systems, modified a PIV system so that it can measure the effects of medical implants on blood flow.

At the core of the Smart-PIV system is miniaturized optical sensor technology. It uses ultrathin laser light sheets to capture images of the fluid dynamics of blood flowing through implanted devices. A parallel computing subsystem then numerically analyzes the images. The results allow device designers or doctors to detect problems with blood flow that could lead to serious, even fatal, complications.

The Smart-PIV system fills a gap in the heart device sector that has limited the efficiency of implants. By using the optimized PIV system, medical manufacturers will be able to improve the design of devices such as heart valves and pumps. Could this technology possibly have other medical device applications?
Tell us what you think.

Corinne Litchfield
Associate Editor, MPMN

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The editors of MPMN receive hundreds of press releases on medical device components each week. Read on for what we thought were the most eye-catching products and services that have recently come across our desk.

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Sneak Peek: First Time Exhibitors

A contract manufacturer with a focus on energy delivery systems makes its debut at the MD&M West show. Read more...

Read more profiles of first-time exhibitors in the January/February 2006 issue of MPMN.

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