The unacceptably high stroke rate of HeartMate III VAD without signs of
adherent pump thrombosis is hypothesized to be the result of the thrombi
originating on the inflow cannula, ingesting and ejecting emboli from the VAD.
Therefore, inflow cannula thrombosis has been an emerging focus. The inflow
cannula of contemporary VADs, which incorporate both polished and rough regions
serve as useful benchmarks to study the effects of roughness and shear on
thrombogenesis. An in vitro study was conducted to emulate the
micro-hemodynamic condition on a sintered inflow cannula, and to observe the
deposition and detachment patterns. Together with a computational fluid dynamic
tool, this study aimed to provide insight into the optimization of inflow
cannula and potentially reducing adverse neurological events due to upstream
thrombus