Investigation of mechanical performance for tricuspid valve stent in different compression modes

Abstract The tricuspid acting as a one-way valve between the right atrium and the right ventricle of the human heart, is very important for the blood circulation system. The regurgitation will be induced if the tricuspid cannot close normally, leading to symptoms such as arrhythmia and right heart failure. In the case of severe regurgitation, replacement with an artificial tricuspid valve instead of the natural tricuspid is the promising solution. For the typical artificial tricuspid valve, the bioprosthesis valve is fixed on a tricuspid valve stent which is usually compressed before being implanted into the heart. In this study, numerical simulation with an ABAQUS standard approach is carried out with a focus on the compression process of the tricuspid valve stent to evaluate the mechanical performances of two compression methods: one is the traditional radial compression method (RCM), and another is the axial compression method (ACM) that gradually compresses through a conical channel. The results indicate that the environment temperature is closely related to the stress distribution for both the RCM and ACM, in particular, a lower temperature can result in lower stress. The maximum strain is located at the inner corner of the joint of the stent ribs and the connection between the top arm and the stent, with a value over 12% at the temperature of 0°C, indicating the possible position for failure. The average diameter-stress curves of the RCM and ACM are respectively obtained for the compression process. To achieve long operation time, the RCM is recommended from the perspective of reducing compressive stress. The present study can provide the experience for the production and clinical application of tricuspid valve stents.