Shaping the Flow: Impact of Blade Shape on Performance and Hemocompatibility in Rotodynamic Blood Pumps

IF 2.2 3区医学 Q3 ENGINEERING, BIOMEDICAL

Artificial organs Pub Date : 2026-09-29 Epub Date: 2026-06-07 DOI:10.1111/aor.70178

Benjamin Torner, Simon Klocker, Niccolò Crescenti, Aldo J. Suria, Harald Reithofer, Michael Hübler, Daniel Zimpfer, Marcus Granegger

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives

Rotodynamic blood pumps (RBPs) must operate reliably across a wide range of clinical conditions, including off-design operating regimes. Although blade shape is known to influence off-design performance in conventional turbopumps, its impact on hydraulic performance and hemocompatibility in RBPs has not been systematically investigated. This study combines in silico and in vitro analyses to assess the effects of leading-edge geometry and blade thickness on performance (pressure head-flow rate characteristics, efficiencies) and hemocompatibility (damage index, DI) across multiple RBPs and operating conditions.

Methods

Three representative RBPs, a cavopulmonary assist device, the CentriMag RBP, and a novel ventricular assist device, were investigated. Semi-circular, elliptical, and wedge-shaped leading edges were implemented, whereas three blade thickness configurations were analyzed.

Results

Variations in leading-edge geometry resulted in minor differences in performance (< 3 percent in efficiency) and hemocompatibility (< 3% DI) across all devices and operating conditions. In contrast, blade thickness had a pronounced effect on performance under overload off-design operation, with thinner blades improving efficiency by up to 22%, while exhibiting only limited changes in hemocompatibility-related metrics (< 7% DI). The observed efficiency differences were primarily attributed to decreased friction losses caused by less channel blockage with thinner impeller blades.

Conclusions

Overall, impeller blade shape plays a secondary role in hemocompatibility within the investigated pump types and operating conditions. This finding suggests that leading-edge optimization may be deprioritized relative to other hemocompatibility-critical geometry parameters in RBP design. Blade thickness, however, may lead to unfavorable channel blockage effects and therefore needs to be optimized with respect to manufacturing constraints and hydraulic performance.

查看原文本刊更多论文

塑造流动：叶片形状对旋转动力血泵性能和血液相容性的影响。

目的：旋转动力血泵（rbp）必须在广泛的临床条件下可靠地运行，包括非设计操作方案。虽然已知叶片形状会影响常规涡轮泵的非设计性能，但其对rbp水力性能和血液相容性的影响尚未系统研究。该研究结合了计算机和体外分析，评估了前缘几何形状和叶片厚度对多个rbp和操作条件下的性能（压力头流速率特性，效率）和血液相容性（损伤指数，DI）的影响。方法：对三种具有代表性的RBP进行了研究，一种是腔室肺辅助装置，一种是CentriMag RBP，一种是新型心室辅助装置。设计了半圆形、椭圆形和楔形前缘，分析了三种叶片厚度结构。结果：前缘几何形状的变化导致性能的微小差异(结论：总体而言，叶轮叶片形状在所研究的泵类型和操作条件下对血液相容性起次要作用。这一发现表明，在RBP设计中，相对于其他血液相容性关键几何参数，前沿优化可能被优先考虑。然而，叶片厚度可能会导致不利的通道阻塞效应，因此需要根据制造限制和水力性能进行优化。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Artificial organs 工程技术-工程：生物医学

CiteScore

4.30

自引率

12.50%

发文量

303

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： Artificial Organs is the official peer reviewed journal of The International Federation for Artificial Organs (Members of the Federation are: The American Society for Artificial Internal Organs, The European Society for Artificial Organs, and The Japanese Society for Artificial Organs), The International Faculty for Artificial Organs, the International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps, The International Society for Pediatric Mechanical Cardiopulmonary Support, and the Vienna International Workshop on Functional Electrical Stimulation. Artificial Organs publishes original research articles dealing with developments in artificial organs applications and treatment modalities and their clinical applications worldwide. Membership in the Societies listed above is not a prerequisite for publication. Articles are published without charge to the author except for color figures and excess page charges as noted.