Research
Biocompatibility of materials of medical devices through which blood flows
Left: Blood pump to support heart function with a visualisation of the flow conditions
Right: Scanning electron microscope image of cell adhesion to plastic components through which blood flows
Theaim is to investigate the compatibility of blood and other body fluids in direct contact with biomaterials. For this purpose, an existing model of a heart support pump (see figure) was combined with the different flow properties of the blood in a flow simulation in order to investigate the deformation and the resulting damage.
The intention is to focus on the following areas:
> Biocompatibility of the materials to be used
> Design and construction of the blood pump
> Application of computer-aided models for simulation
> Final use on the patient under appropriate conditions
For this problem, the areas of
> Medicine
> Biology
> Chemistry
> And materials science
were taken into account.
The knowledge gained from this study and research work is to be used for the further development of pump systems in medical technology in order to determine the major problem of extracoporal (as they exist in some oxygenators) and intracoporal (such as in artificial heart valves and stents) flows and to be able to predict the reaction in the mathematical model. This should provide a greater and better understanding of material and flow influences and lead to an improvement in existing and future medical devices.