Finite element-based feasibility study on utilizing heat flux sensors for early detection of vascular graft infections

Aortic vascular graft infections have high morbidity and mortality rate, however, patients often do not show symptoms. Continuous implant surface monitoring will allow for early detection of infections on implant surfaces, which allows for antibiotic treatment prior to biofilm formation. We explore the possibility of using heat flux sensors mounted on an aortic vascular graft to sense the localized heat production at the onset of infectious growth. We apply Finite Element Model simulations to demonstrate changes of the heat transfer coefficient depending on different pulsatile flow parameters. We determine various differences, the main influence being the distance travelled from the inlet of the simulation with the highest heat transfer coefficient closest to the inlet and decreasing along the direction of travel of the fluid. The determined range of heat transfer coefficients of 200 to 4800 W/m(2) was applied to a second simulation of the thermal environment of the implant. We determined the heat transfer efficiency of the aortic graft system depending on different graft materials and thicknesses. We are further able to determine that the early detection of infection is possible by comparing the simulated amount of heat flux produced locally with the resolution of a commercial heat flux sensor.