On the unexplored relationship between kinetic energy and helicity in prosthetic heart valves hemodynamics

Surgical replacement of the diseased aortic valve consists in the implantation of a prosthetic heart valve (PHV), either biological or mechanical (BHV and MHV, respectively). Risks of complication have been linked to high levels of turbulence and consequent energy dissipation induced by the PHV. As helicity is an emergent feature in cardiovascular flows, deemed to impact blood flow organization, stability and the turbulent energy cascade, in...