Fluid Dynamic Study of the Inlet and Outlet Flows for the Ension Pediatric ECMO System

Jeremy Silver,1 Steve Topper,1 Michael Navitsky,1 Ben Sepe,1 Keefe B. Manning, PhD1
1 Department

of Bioengineering, University Park, PA The Pennsylvania State University

Objectives
This project aimed to examine the inlet and outlet flows for varying geometries of the Ension, Inc. pediatric cardiopulmonary assist system (pCAS), which is a novel extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system (ECMO) for children. The flow through eight different geometries for the inlet and outlet port of the oxygenator component (Figure 1) of the pCAS system was analyzed. The fluid dynamics through the different models were analyzed quantitatively to identify: Areas of turbulence Regions of stagnant flow Areas prone to thrombus formation The geometries that best reduced the chances for thrombosis by minimizing turbulence and stagnation were chosen as the best models and were recommended for use in the ECMO system.

Methods (continued)

Results
After taking all of the PIV data for each geometry, velocity field profiles were obtained. The results show that the following geometries produced the most ideal flow: Inlet Port: A5 and A7 Outlet Port: A6 and A7 Two-dimensional velocity flow fields of the A5 inlet port data are shown in Figure 4.

Figure 2: Schematic of the experimental flow loop.

Minus Plane

Center Plane

Plus Plane

Particle Image Velocimetry

PIV is a flow visualization technique that produces 2-dimensional planar flow fields. A Gemini PIV 15 system with dual Nd:YAG lasers and an optical train were used to produce a 300 m thick light sheet in the plane of interest. The light sheet was pulsed twice at a known time difference and a synchronizer was used to coordinate the pulsed laser with a CCD camera, capturing 200 image pairs for each flow rate and plane. For each port, PIV data was collected at three different planes (Figure 3) and six different flow rates for each plane.

0.25 lpm

0.50 lpm

0.75 lpm

1.00 lpm

Figure 1: Images of oxygenator model containing port geometries A7 and A8. In the head on view (left), A7 is on the left and A8 is on the right. The A7 geometry is highlighted in the side view of the model (right). 1.25 lpm

Clinical Relevance
Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the leading cause of infant mortality, accounting for 24% of deaths [1]. There are not enough neonatal and pediatric donor hearts available to meet the need [2]. Current extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) systems, listed as one of the only options to treat children dying from heart failure, are short-term and unreliable [3]. Ension, Inc. received a grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to develop the pCAS system to improve gas exchange and reliability over current ECMO technology.
A. B. Figure 3: A) CAD drawings with the location of the planes of interest for geometries A5 (top left), A6 (top right), and A7 (bottom). B) Quantitative location of the three different planes used for PIV analysis. 1.50 lpm

Figure 4: Velocity field profiles for model A5 inlet flow at minus (left), center (middle), and plus (right) planes.

Conclusions
The geometries that best reduced the chances for thrombus formation minimized regions of turbulence and stagnation. For the inlet port to the oxygenator, the most ideal geometries were A5 and A7. For the outlet port, the most ideal geometries were A6 and A7.

After masking the images to remove background noise, InsightTM 3G software partitioned each flow field into 32 x 32 pixel interrogation regions, and local particle displacements were calculated. By dividing all local displacements by the known time interval between image pairs, velocity fields were generated.

Methods
Oxygenator Models
Four optically clear models of the oxygenator were provided by Ension, Inc. to be studied in an in vitro flow loop (Figure 2). Each model labeled A1-A8. contained two geometrically unique ports

Loop Setup & Conditions

A 40% hematocrit, non-Newtonian fluid was made using water, xantham gum, and sodium iodide for use as a pediatric blood analog. The fluid was seeded with 10 m glass particles. The oxygenator was situated in a continuous flow loop driven by a centrifugal pump (Figure 2). The loop was studied at steady flow rates of 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 1.25, and 1.50 liters per minute (lpm).

These geometries were suggested for use in the Ension pCAS system.

References
[1] Rogers, Vronique L., et al. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics-2011 Update. Circulation 123.4 (2011): 18-209. Web. [2] Almond, C. S. D., et al. "Waiting List Mortality among Children Listed for Heart Transplantation in the United States." Circulation 119.5 (2009): 717-27. Web. [3] Fraser, CD, et al. Prospective Trial of a Pediatric Ventricular Assist Device. The New England Journal of Medicine 367 (2012): 532-541. Web

Each of the 8 ports were used as both an inlet and outlet to the oxygenator, and the fluid flow through the ports was analyzed using particle image velocimetry (PIV).

Acknowledgements
Research made possible by a grant from Ension, Inc.