Design and Fabrication of 3D Printed Deformable Model of Patient-Specific Left Atrium for PIV Investigation

Patients affected by non-valvular atrial fibrillation experience cardiac arrhythmia, which induces changes in blood flow and increases the risk of thrombus formation in the left atrial appendage (LAA), significantly raising the risk of stroke. Understanding the fluid dynamics within LAA is crucial for determining the most appropriate therapy for AF patients. In this study, an in vitro experimental setup was developed to study the fluid dynamics of the left atrium using a deformable phantom and a particle image velocimetry (PIV) system. A 3D-printed deformable phantom of the left atrium, including the LAA and pulmonary veins, was fabricated from a patient-specific computed tomography dataset. Additionally, a specific mock circulatory loop was established, with pulsatile flow imposed by a ventricular pump. PIV investigation was performed using a dedicated LED-PIV system, with the images analyzed focusing particularly on the LAA region.