LAUSR

Current heart valve replacements lack durability and sustained performance, especially in paediatric patients. In part, these problems may be attributed to the materials chosen for these constructs, but an important contributing factor is the design of the valve, as this dictates haemodynamic performance and impacts leaflet stresses which may accelerate structural valve deterioration. Most current era bioprosthetic valves adhere to a fundamental design where flat leaflets are supported by stent posts, secured to a sewing ring. This overall design strategy is effective, but functionality and durability may be improved by incorporating features of the native valve geometry. This paper presents a novel workflow for developing and analysing bioinspired valve designs computationally. The leaflet curvature was defined using a mathematical equation that was derived from the 3D model of a native sheep pulmonary valve obtained via micro-computed tomography. Finite Element Analysis was used to screen the various valve designs proposed in this study by assessing the effect of leaflet thickness, Young's modulus, and height/curvature on snap-through, Geometric Orifice Area (GOA) and the stress in the leaflets. This workflow demonstrated benefits for valve designs with leaflet thicknesses between 0.1-0.3 mm, Young's moduli less than 50 MPa, and elongated leaflets with greater curvatures. The proposed workflow brings substantial efficiency gains, minimising manufacturing and animal testing during iterative improvements, and offers a bridge between in vitro and more complex in silico studies in the future.