Patient-specific isogeometric fluid-structure interaction analysis of thoracic aortic blood flow due to implantation of the Jarvik 2000 left ventricular assist device

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are continuous flow pumps that are employed in patients with severe heart failure. Although their emergence has significantly improved therapeutic options for patients with heart failure, detailed studies of the impact of LVADs on hemodynamics are notably lacking. To this end we initiate a computational study of the Jarvik 2000 LVAD model employing isogeometric fluid-structure interaction analysis. We focus on a patient-specific configuration in which the LVAD is implanted in the descending thoracic aorta. We perform computations for three pump settings and report our observations for several quantities of hemodynamic interest. It should be noted that this paper presents the first three-dimensional, patient-specific fluid-structure interaction simulation of LVADs. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.