Cavitation damage of pyrolytic carbon in mechanical heart valves.

A summary of the observations of cavitation-related damage is presented for over a hundred mechanical heart valves (MHV) containing pyrolytic carbon components. Valves were obtained from several types of simulators, animal studies and clinical explantations, and were primarily of the bileaflet type. Damage on these valves was documented as to location, type, and severity. This report focuses on the damage location where cavitation bubbles have been observed in vitro. Pitting and microcracking are the forms of damage observed that can be associated with cavitation. The pitting is primarily of a focal nature and is thought to be due to cavitation bubble collapse or, possibly, initiation. Certain features of the deposited material appear to be important relative to cavitation damage resistance and the so-called cavitation threshold of a MHV. A highly polished surface with few micropores provides few nucleation sites for cavitation bubbles and will better withstand cavitation forces. Attributing certain observations of in vivo damage to cavitation is done by inference from; 1. the similarity of the damage features observed on explants to those produced by cavitation in vitro, and 2. the identity of the location of this damage with the location of cavitation as observed by high speed video (HSV). In addition, confirmation was obtained in a number of instances by in vitro observation of cavitation coinciding with a specific damage location on the same explanted MHV. In most of the fractures, a focal pit was usually present on the fracture line at or near the fracture origin, indicating pitting as a primary damage mechanism.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)