Key Milestone in Predicting Endogenous Tissue Restoration in Biodegradable Heart Valves

Within the SimInSitu project, we reached the final milestones of the development of our computational model predicting endogenous tissue restoration (ETR) in biodegradable vascular grafts. We verified, calibrated, and validated a model of a simple carotid and pulmonary conduit graft in which ETR is predicted for 6 or 12 months. This was achieved by the development of a sequential model, where fluid-structure-interaction models to calculate time-averaged wall shear stress, are alternated with finite element models in which scaffold degradation, and wall (shear) stress-dependent extracellular matrix production are implemented.

Calibration and validation was performed by comparison of the model outputs, such as evolving graft diameter, composition, and wall thickness, with findings from our animal trials.

In the next steps of the project, we look forward to integrating this ETR model into more complex patient-specific geometries.