Biomechanical Mechanisms in Arteriovenous Graft Failure
Goal: Perform in-vitro flow simulations of the in-vivo experiments done at U of C. These simulations will provide an accurate description of the flow field present in Arteriovenous Grafts.
In the in-vivo experiments at U of C, flow rates and vibration levels in the venous anastomosis are recorded along with CT images of the anastomosis. These images are processed and used to build a 3-dimensional model of the flow region with the rapid prototype machine. This rp model is used to as a mold to form a sylgard model, which is then an accurate three dimensional model of the same anastomosis that the flow rates and vibrations were recorded on.

Flow Rig Setup

The three dimensional models built are tested on the lab's flow rig, which is capable of reproducing the same Reynolds numbers measured in-vivo. Laser Doppler Anemometry are performed on these models producing the time varying velocity distributions throughout the anastomosis. The experimental results obtained are compared to the numerical results of Sang Wook Lee to validate the team's numerical model.

Re = 1200, Flow Split = 100:0

Re = 1200, Flow Split = 70:30