In Silico Evaluation of Local Hemodynamics Following Vena Cava Filter Deployment

J. Ferdous[1], M. Ghaly [2], V. B. Kolachalama [3], T. Shazly[1,4]
[1]Biomedical Engineering Program, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
[2]Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
[3]Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Cambridge, MA, USA
[4]Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
Published in 2013

Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters have become essential components in deep vein thrombosis treatment to prevent preventing pulmonary embolisms. Filter efficacy relies on maintaining IVC patency by preventing filter-induced thrombosis following clot capture. A computational model has been developed to determine whether a candidate filter design elicits hemodynamic patterns that promote thrombus development. Model equations were solved using COMSOL Multiphysics®. The model yielded a steady-state flow solution describing blood velocity in the vicinity of an impermeable filter with various levels of clot accumulation. Decreasing clot porosity and permeability resulted in higher wall shear stress, suggesting that clot maturity modulates thrombotic potential. Nonuniform longitudinal and radial shear stress patterns, indicating that local thrombogenicity varies with both clot state and position.