Research

Magnetically Levitated Implantable Blood Pump

Rotary blood pumps are now an accepted form of care, but all have adverse events, some of which are associated with fluid flow patterns and shear stress. It's possible that magnetic levitation of the rotating impeller can drastically reduce pump induced trauma.

Suction Feeding in Fish

Most fish feed by generating a flow of water that exerts forces onto their prey. This invisible force field can be that ng the complex application of fluid dynamics to suction feeding in fish.

Validation of Computational Models of Cardiovascular Devices

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a technique routinely used to develop and prototype blood-contacting medical devices, such as prosthetic heart valves and ventricular assist devices.

Optical Methods in Applied Fluid Flows

My laboratory has used optical methods, including Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) to study fluid flow, mixing, and particle motion in a range of flow fields. These are generally related to a medical or biological system.

Flow Induced Cell Damage

In collaboration with Rich Malinauskas (FDA), we are investigating the damage of red blood cells exposted to non-physiologic stresses present in most blood contacting devices. Although there are many published studies over hte past several decades, the discrepancies between published threshold values for damage make it difficult to design these devices.