Iranian Conference on Biomedical Engineering

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Keynote Speaker: Dr. Nasser Fatouraee

Biomechanics of the human heart valve

The heart has four valves controlling the blood, which are located at the outlet of the ventricles and atria. The valves of the heart are responsible for making the central blood flow one-way. The anatomy of these valves is such that they are closed with the least resistance against the passage of open blood flow, and to prevent the return of blood flow. These valves, which play an important role in the functioning of the cardiovascular system, have to deal with about 3 billion heart cycles during a person's lifetime. The hemodynamics of these valves and the area around them is very important because they are in direct contact with the blood. On the other hand, due to the large number of cycles and multiple loading, if a problem occurs, the functional loss of these valves occurs quickly. If these valves are damaged, one of the proposed treatment solutions is to replace the patient's natural valve with a suitable artificial valve. Since the 1950s, many mechanical, biological, polymer and catheter artificial valves have been used. But until now, no prosthesis has been able to ideally replace the natural valve and have its continuity and efficiency. For this reason, many studies have been conducted to evaluate the performance and change in the design of existing valves. Evaluation of these prostheses using the finite element method and optimization algorithms can help improve their performance and reduce complications after implantation for patients.