Challenge:
FEops wanted to contribute to further increasing the safety and efficacy of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantations (TAVI).
Solution:
Abaqus software is a key component of FEops’ unique TAVIguide technology to create realistic models of stent-supported heart valve function before, during, and after valve implantation.
Benefits: SIMULIA solutions, used in conjunction with FEops proprietary software, enabled FEops to provide surgeons and cardiovascular device designers with a tool that allows them to pre-operatively visualize surgical procedures and accurately predict the behavior of the devices. This translates to time and cost savings for FEops’ customers and improved quality of care for patients.
The heart is often compared to a pump, facilitating the flow of blood between its upper and lower chambers. The heart’s valves, which open and close with each beat, regulate the pressure and course of blood throughout the body. Unfortunately, according to the American Heart Association, more than 5 million Americans are diagnosed with heart valve disease each year. It can occur in any single valve or a combination of all four, but disease of the aortic and mitral valves is most common.
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, up to 1.5 million people in the U.S. suffer from aortic valve disease. The aortic valve controls the movement of oxygenated blood from the left ventricle into the aorta, the main artery leading to the rest of the body. Without an aortic valve replacement (AVR), 50 percent of aortic valve disease sufferers will not survive more than an average of two years after the onset of symptoms. An estimated 85,000 surgical AVR procedures are performed every year in the United States.
For patients deemed too old or too ill to undergo AVR through traditional open-heart surgery, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a growing alternative approach. It is much less invasive, as it avoids cardiopulmonary bypass and requires less time and anesthesia than a major surgical procedure. TAVI involves inserting a catheter, usually through the femoral artery in the thigh, which is then threaded into the heart, where it inserts a replacement valve inside the native (original) one. This replacement valve is mounted upon a dedicated endovascular prosthesis or stent.
Want to learn more?
Discover how FEops is using SIMULIA solutions to provide realistic simulation of transcatheter heart-valve procedure planning and design.
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