Experimental validation of a novel tricuspid valve design

Overview

The tricuspid valve is responsible for regulating the flow of blood between the right atrium and the right ventricle of the heart. During ventricular systole, it closes to prevent the backflow of blood from the right ventricle into the right atrium. This closure ensures that blood is pumped forward into the pulmonary circulation. In contrast, the tricuspid valve opens during ventricular diastole, allowing blood to flow from the right atrium into the right ventricle.

When the tricuspid valve fails to close tightly, a condition called tricuspid regurgitation may occur. This causes blood to flow backward into the right atrium during ventricular contraction. As a result, the volume of blood in the right atrium increases, which can lead to right atrium enlargement affecting the blood pressure in nearby heart chambers and blood vessels. Tricuspid regurgitation can manifest with symptoms such as weakness, fatigue, and insufficient oxygen supply to the body. Other possible symptoms include pulsing in the neck veins, an enlarged liver, fatigue, abdominal swelling, and swelling in the legs, ankles, and/or feet.

The most common causes of tricuspid regurgitation are:

• an enlarged right ventricle
• conditions that place strain on the right ventricle, such as abnormally high blood pressure in the lung arteries (which can result from lung problems or pulmonary embolism)
• other heart issues, can contribute to its enlargement
• problems with other heart valves can also impact the functioning of the tricuspid valve.

Without proper treatment, patients with tricuspid valve regurgitation are at high risk for developing lethal complications, including heart failure or atrial fibrillation (AFib), and disorder heart's rhythm. Currently, open chest surgery is commonly performed to address tricuspid regurgitation. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an alternative approach involving the design of a transcatheter tricuspid valve. This valve is intended to be inserted through minimally invasive techniques, potentially eliminating the need for open chest surgery.

This project aims to validate the design of a novel tricuspid valve to ensure its safety and efficacy in clinical settings using state-of-the-art equipment.

Research activities

The work involved in this project would be ideal for a student with experimental skills that is also interested in medical technology. The work you will be involved in will include:

• a literature review on current tricuspid valve treatment
• 3D printing mock heart circulation
• in-vitro flow experiments
• fluid dynamics simulations.

You will be working within the Cardiovascular Engineering group at QUT and clinical stakeholders.

Outcomes

This project aims to evaluate a novel tricuspid valve design via in-vitro experiments.

Skills and experience

To be considered for this research project, you should have a background in either:

• mechanical engineering
• biomedical engineering.

We also expect you to have some basic fluid dynamics and heart anatomy knowledge.

Scholarships

You may be eligible to apply for a research scholarship.

Explore our research scholarships

Keywords

• tricuspid valve
• flow
• heart
• fluid dynamics

Contact

Contact the supervisor for more information.