Home Department: Mechanical Engineering
Mentor: Joseph Woo, Cardiothoracic Surgery

“Flexible Variable Annulus”

Degenerative mitral regurgitation describes a condition in which blood leaks backwards into the left atrium during the ejection phase of the cardiac cycle. This occurs because the mitral valve does not seal properly when the left ventricle of the heart is ejecting into the aorta. If this condition is left untreated, heart failure can occur. Tabitha’s research aims to develop a device that creates a dilated mitral valve, which will be used in the Woo Lab’s left heart simulator to mimic and analyze degenerative mitral regurgitation. Data collected from the simulator can elucidate better methods of treating this deficiency.