Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene conduits with curved and handsewn bileaflet designs for right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction.

OBJECTIVE: This study reviewed the application of curved and bileaflet designs to pulmonary expanded polytetrafluoroethylene conduits with diameters of 10 to 16 mm and characterized this conduit on in vitro experiment, including particle image velocimetry. METHODS: All patients who received this conduit between 2010 and 2022 were evaluated. Three 16-mm conduits were tested in a circulatory simulator at different cardiac outputs (1.5-3.6 L/minute) and bending angles (130°-150°). RESULTS: Fifty consecutive patients were included. The median operative body weight was 8.4 kg (range, 2.6-12 kg); 10-, 12-, 14-, and 16-mm conduits were used in 1, 4, 6, and 39 patients, respectively. In 34 patients, the conduit was implanted in a heterotopic position. The overall survival rate was 89% at 8 years with 3 nonvalve-related deaths. There were 10 conduit replacements; 5 16-mm conduits (after 8 years) and 1 12-mm conduit (after 6 years) due to conduit stenosis, and the remaining 4 for reasons other than conduit failure. Freedom from conduit replacement was 89% and 82% at 5 and 8 years, respectively. Linear mixed-effects models with echocardiographic data implied that 16-mm conduits were durable with a peak velocity <3.5 m/second and without moderate/severe regurgitation until the patient's weight reached 25 kg. In experiments, peak transvalvular pressure gradients were 11.5 to 25.5 mm Hg, regurgitant fractions were 8.0% to 14.4%, and peak Reynolds shear stress in midsystolic phase was 29 to 318 Pa. CONCLUSIONS: Our conduits with curved and bileaflet designs have acceptable clinical durability and proven hydrodynamic profiles, which eliminate valve regurgitation and serve as a reliable bridge to subsequent conduit replacement.

Estimation of High-Speed Liquid-Jet Velocity Using a Pyro Jet Injector.

The high-speed liquid-jet velocity achieved using an injector strongly depends on the piston motion, physical property of the liquid, and container shape of the injector. Herein, we investigate the liquid ejection mechanism and a technique for estimating the ejection velocity of a high-speed liquid jet using a pyro jet injector (PJI). We apply a two-dimensional numerical simulation with an axisymmetric approximation using the commercial software ANSYS/FLUENT. To gather the input data applied during the numerical simulation, the piston motion is captured with a high-speed CMOS camera, and the velocity of the piston is measured using motion tracking software. To reproduce the piston motion during the numerical simulation, the boundary-fitted coordinates and a moving boundary method are employed. In addition, we propose a fluid dynamic model (FDM) for estimating the high-speed liquid-jet ejection velocity based on the piston velocity. Using the FDM, we consider the liquid density variation but neglect the effects of the liquid viscosity on the liquid ejection. Our results indicate that the liquid-jet ejection velocity estimated by the FDM corresponds to that predicted by ANSYS/FLUENT for several different ignition-powder weights. This clearly shows that a high-speed liquid-jet ejection velocity can be estimated using the presented FDM when considering the variation in liquid density but neglecting the liquid viscosity. In addition, some characteristics of the presented PJI are observed, namely, (1) a very rapid piston displacement within 0.1 ms after a powder explosion, (2) piston vibration only when a large amount of powder is used, and (3) a pulse jet flow with a temporal pulse width of 0.1 ms.

A microgravity experiment of the on-orbit fluid transfer technique using swirl flow.

The cryogenic fluid transfer technique will prove useful for flexible and low-cost space activities by prolonging the life cycle of satellites, orbital transfer vehicles, and orbital telescopes that employ cryogenic fluids, such as reactants, coolants, and propellants. Although NASA has conducted extensive research on this technique to date, a complicated mechanism is required to control the pressure in the receiver tank and avoid a large liquid loss by vaporization. We have proposed a novel fluid transfer method by using swirl flow combined with vapor condensation facilitated by spray cooling. This technique enables gas-liquid separation in microgravity and effectively facilitates vapor condensation without any special device like a mixer. In addition, since the incoming liquid flows along the tank wall, the tank wall would be cooled effectively, thereby minimizing the liquid loss due to vaporization. In this paper, the influence of the number of inlet points, fluid velocity at the inlet, fluid type, and boiling condition on swirl flow under microgravity conditions is investigated experimentally. The results indicated that the new fluid transfer technique using the swirl flow proposed by us is effective for cryogenic fluids that generally exhibit low surface tension and good wettability. In addition, it is possible to apply this technique to the real system because the swirl flow conditions are determined by the Froude number, which is dimensionless. Thus, the fundamental technique of fluid transfer by using the swirl flow under microgravity conditions was established.