Hemodynamic assessment of partial mechanical circulatory support: data derived from computed tomography angiographic images and computational fluid dynamics.

Partial mechanical circulatory support represents a new concept for the treatment of advanced heart failure. The Circulite Synergy Micro Pump(®), where the inflow cannula is connected to the left atrium and the outflow cannula to the right subclavian artery, was one of the first devices to introduce this concept to the clinic. Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, hemodynamics in the aortic tree was visualized and quantified from computed tomography angiographic (CTA) images in two patients. A realistic computational model was created by integrating flow information from the native heart and from the Circulite device. Diastolic flow augmentation in the descending aorta but competing/antagonizing flow patterns in the proximal innominate artery was observed. Velocity time curves in the ascending aorta correlated well with those in the left common carotid, the left subclavian and the descending aorta but poorly with the one in the innominate. Our results demonstrate that CFD may be useful in providing a better understanding of the main flow patterns in mechanical circulatory support devices.

Review of recent results using computational fluid dynamics simulations in patients receiving mechanical assist devices for end-stage heart failure.

Many end-stage heart failure patients are not eligible to undergo heart transplantation due to organ shortage, and even those under consideration for transplantation might suffer long waiting periods. A better understanding of the hemodynamic impact of left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) on the cardiovascular system is therefore of great interest. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations give the opportunity to study the hemodynamics in this patient population using clinical imaging data such as computed tomographic angiography. This article reviews a recent study series involving patients with pulsatile and constant-flow LVAD devices in which CFD simulations were used to qualitatively and quantitatively assess blood flow dynamics in the thoracic aorta, demonstrating its potential to enhance the information available from medical imaging.

Modified reposition of the JOTEC prosthesis in the frozen elephant trunk procedure.

We describe a procedure in which we inserted a modified JOTEC graft following a known complication in the case of a 78-year-old male patient who underwent surgery with the frozen elephant trunk technique for an acute Stanford type A aortic dissection.