CFD Analysis Study on the Impact of the Coronary Anatomy on the Efficiency of the Coronary Thrombectomy: The Effect of Bend Angles

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention is effective in opening the infarct-related artery in patients with myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation. However, the embolization of athero-thrombotic debris induces micro vascular obstruction and diminishes myocardial reperfusion. The aspiration catheter’s design, the coronary anatomy and the physical properties of the thrombi are key factors in ensuring a successful interventional procedure.

The aim of our study is to use computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis for assessing the impact that the thrombus age and the coronary anatomy might have on the aspiration efficiency. A generic model of an Export AP (Medtronic) catheter tip was created and extended with distal shafts having different bend angles. Double bended catheter shafts were also considered. A two-phase CFD model with different values for the viscosity of the thrombus was implemented in ANSYS-CFX, allowing us to explore the impact of the viscosity on the efficiency of the aspiration.

Some authors have recently used

in

 − 

vitro

tests for exploring the impact of the bends angles and thrombus age on the efficiency of some commercial thrombus aspiration devices, including the Export catheter.

Based on a fundamental study we tried to look for some explanations for their findings.