Trileaflet Mechanical Heart Valve With Restricted Leaflet Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mechanical prosthetic heart valves do not mimic the natural human heart valve shape, leading to blood turbulence, increased coagulation risk, and wear and tear due to improper leaflet movement, necessitating anticoagulant use and potential malfunction.
Innovation Solution
A trileaflet mechanical prosthetic heart valve design with hinges evenly spaced along the inner circumference, featuring protrusions to limit leaflet opening to 90° or less, ensuring laminar blood flow and minimizing interference, wear, and reducing the need for anticoagulants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If leaflets are allowed to open freely without restriction, then blood flow passage is maximized, but leaflets may open past threshold angle causing backwards blood flow to hold them in opened position and create turbulence
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge mechanism changes the operational parameter of leaflet opening angle, restricting it to remain below a threshold angle (e.g., less than 90 degrees). This parameter change prevents the leaflet from entering the problematic open position where backward flow could hold it open, thus resolving the contradiction between maximizing flow passage and maintaining reliable position control.
2Productivity
If leaflets open to maximize blood flow, then turbulence is reduced, but wear and tear near the hinge interface increases
Solution Approach 1:
By changing the operational parameter of leaflet opening angle through the hinge restriction, the system achieves an optimal balance: the leaflet opens sufficiently to allow efficient blood flow while the angle restriction prevents excessive movement that would cause wear and tear at the hinge interface.
3Productivity
If leaflets are designed to open freely, then blood flow is improved, but coagulation risk increases due to turbulence
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge-induced parameter change in opening angle creates a controlled leaflet movement pattern that improves blood flow while preventing the excessive turbulence that would otherwise increase coagulation risk. The restricted angle ensures smooth flow transitions without creating high-turbulence zones.
4Duration of action of stationary object
If mechanical prosthetic valves are used for durability, then valve longevity is improved, but anticoagulant medication is required to prevent blood clots
Solution Approach 1:
By changing the operational parameter of leaflet opening angle to remain below threshold, the design minimizes turbulence and blood stagnation zones that promote coagulation. This allows mechanical valves to maintain their durability advantage while significantly reducing the harmful effect of clot formation, potentially reducing or eliminating the need for anticoagulant medication.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A mechanical prosthetic heart valve having a ring, multiple hinges, and multiple leaflets. The hinges are attached to the ring and are evenly spaced from one another along the inner circumference of the ring. Each leaflet is rotably attached to a hinge by an opening located in the center of the lower portion of the leaflets. The ring can include multiple protrusions located along the inner circumference of the ring. The protrusions of the ring limit the opening angle of the leaflets. By limiting the opening angle of the leaflets, wear and tear of the hinges and leaflets, as well as the probability of malfunction of the mechanical prosthetic heart valve are reduced. In addition, limiting the opening angle of the leaflets may increase the opening and closing speed of the leaflets, thus improving performance of the mechanical prosthetic heart valve when the patient is experiencing an elevated cardiac frequency.