Modeling of a test bench for the in vitro simulation of infectious endocarditis under near-physiological blood flow through a prosthetic heart valve

The goal of the ValveGuards project is to develop a test bench that simulates infective endocarditis (IE) under conditions that closely mimic those in the human body. The test bench allows for the testing and optimization of prosthetic heart valves made from various materials (e.g., porcine valves, bovine pericardium, or mechanical prosthetic heart valves) and with different diameters.  The Cardiovascular Modeling and Simulation Research Group is conducting numerical research on hemodynamic conditions within the test bench that influence the development of endocarditis but cannot be directly measured in the test bench.