Fluid Dynamic Characterization of Transcatheter Aortic Valves Using Particle Image Velocimetry

Transcatheter aortic valves provide superior systolic hemodynamic performance in terms of valvular pressure gradient and effective orifice area compared with equivalent size surgical bioprostheses. However, in depth investigation of the flow field structures is of interest to examine the flow field characteristics and provide experimental evidence necessary for validation of computational models. The goal of this study was to compare flow field characteristics of the three most commonly used transcatheter and surgical valves using phase‐locked particle image velocimetry (PIV). 26‐mm Edwards SAPIEN 3, 26‐mm Medtronic CoreValve, and 25‐mm Carpentier‐Edwards PERIMOUNT Magna were examined in a pulse duplicator with input parameters matching ISO‐5840, that is, heart rate of 70 beats/min, cardiac output of 5 L/min, and mean aortic pressure of 100 mm Hg.