Numerical Analysis of a Novel Rotating Piston Blood Pump Based on CFD

Abstract

Currently, centrifugal and roller pumps are primarily used as ECMO blood pumps, but their high pressure or high shear force may lead to complications such as hemolysis and platelet activation. Thus, a new blood pump structure was designed by improving the rotating piston pump and applying it to the blood pump. The blood pump flow field was simulated using CFD simulation software to ensure that this pump can produce pulsatile blood flow and guarantee good distribution of flow velocity, pressure, and shear stress in the blood pump. The hemolysis value of the pump was calculated using the Lagrangian particle tracking method. The research results demonstrate that this pump has excellent hemodynamic performance and that most of the shear stresses are less than 100 Pa, as well as a small hemolysis index. Furthermore, the pump combines the advantages of pulsatile and non-pulsatile pumps. This newly developed pump is expected to provide a new direction for ECMO blood pump development and provides important evidence for further optimization and performance evaluation of rotating piston blood pumps.