FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

1) When was the first heart valve made? 

The idea for a replacement heart valve occurred in 1668. Then in 1955, the first successful heart valve replacement surgery was completed.

2) What is the most commonly used heart valve? 

The bileaflet heart valve is the most well known type of heart valve; however, there are others. The type of heart valve a patient might receive is dependent on a multitude of factors including preexisting medical issues, weight, age, activity level and body size. Due to this, it is hard to say which heart valve is most commonly used.

3) Does a trileaflet design have advantages of a bileaflet design? If so, what are the advantages?

The trileaflet design does have some advantages over the bileaflet design. The trileaflet design helps to limit blood black flow. This occurs when a heart valve does not shut completely, and blood returns to the chamber of the heart. This can lead to more complicated medical problems. 

Another notable advantage that the trileaflet design has is that it is more similar to a real aortic heart valve. This is because the aortic heart valve has 3 leaflets and so does the design. 

4) Why is the clicking noise a problem? 

The clicking associated with a  mechanical heart valve poses no health rises; however, it can become bothersome to patients. The clicking can be heard from outside the body, all the time. 

5) What materials were used for testing?

The materials used for testing included a water pump, plastic tubing and the 3D prototype of the mechanical heart valve. 

6) What was the budget for this project? 

Since this project was mostly research and design, the costs were minimal. The budget breakdown is shown in figure 1 below. 

Figure 1: The overall budget for the project

7) What was the project timeline?

The project timeline is shown below in figure 2. The first three weeks of the project are blank, because the group originally pursued a different project topic; however, they soon realized it would not be feasible. Over all the project timeline was 10 weeks, but the team completed the heart valve project in 7 weeks. 

Figure 2: The overall timeline for the project. 

8) How was the model made?

The 3D model was designed used AutoDesk's Fusion 360 Software. The design was then sent to be 3D printed.