Numerical Investigation of Fluid Flow and Hemolysis in Axial and Centrifugal Pump as Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)

Despite significant improved survival rate in patient with heart failure by Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs), complications related to blood hemolysis and pump thrombosis have challenged the improvement of these devices. Hence, the first step of VADs improvement is studding the flow field and the effect of different parameters on blood hemolysis. Consequently, at the first step of the current study, the CFD analysis of hemolysis in laminar flow inside a pipe and turbulent flow inside a chamber with rotating disc were compared with Analytical solution and experimental results, respectively, and good agreements were achieved. Then, numerical simulation was used to calculate the hemodynamics in one axial and one centrifugal pump as a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD), and a comparative analysis of operating conditions, efficiency and hemolysis index was performed among them. The results showed that the axial VAD had a higher hemolysis index, due to its longer residence time and higher shear stress. The higher shear stress in simulated axial VAD compared to centrifugal VAD arises from its higher operating speed and lower gap size. Furthermore, at the required conditions for blood flow in the human body, the centrifugal VAD has higher efficiency than axial VAD.