HYBRID TEST BENCH FOR EVALUATION OF ANY DEVICE RELATED TO

MECHANICAL CARDIAC ASSISTANCE

M. Arabia1, F.M. Colacino1, G.A. Danieli1, F. Moscato1, S. Nicosia2, S. Pagnottelli3, F. Piedimonte2, P. Valigi3.
1Dip. di Meccanica; Università della Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italia; 2Dip. Informatica, Sistemi, Produzione; Università TorVergata, Roma,
Italia; 3Dip. di Elettronica e dell’Informazione; Università di Perugia, Italia
Correspondence: Francesco M. Colacino, MS, University of Calabria, Mechanical Engineering Dept., Via Ponte P. Bucci, Cubo 44C, 87036, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy,
fcolacino@unical.it
Hydraulic mock circulatory systems have low flexibility to allow tests of The hydraulic afterload and venous return have been reproduced by
different cardiovascular devices and low precision in reproducing the Windkessel and Guyton’s models, respectively. This closed loop setup
reference model. represents a hydraulic simulator of the systemic circulation with left atrium
A new bench is described. It combines the computer modeling of the (Fig. 3).
environment in which the device will operate, and electro-hydraulic
LV
interfaces (E-H-I). The latters’ task is to link the software module with the Cas

inputs and outputs of the device under test.

Ras

Cla Cvs

Fig. 2 – Layout to test the E-H-I Fig. 3 – Electric analog of the test layout
The software module reproduces the time-varying elastance mechanism of
Fig. 1 – Schematic layout of the test bench the ventricle. It receives the value of the ventricular chamber volume Vlv(t)
The EHI converts the reference variable (pressure or flow), generated by as input, and instantaneously outputs a reference value of pressure
solving the differential equations of the mathematical model, into a Plv_des(t) to drive the mock ventricle (Fig. 4).
physical variable, which is used as input to the device under test. Sensors
placed at the inlet and outlet of the same device, feed back input and
output measurements to the computer, which performs the next step of
computation (Fig. 1).
A preliminary layout allowed to test a part of the E-H-I, its control, and the
software. The interface behaves according to the elastance model of the
natural left ventricle (Fig. 2). At the inlet and outlet of the EHI two artificial
valves have been placed.
Fig. 4 – Pressure controlled “hybrid” hydraulic system
Results of the elastance-based mock loop: Afterload and Preload Sensitivity
High frequency signal (Fig. 5) represents data continuosly recorded during the experiment whose waweforms have been zoomed once steady state is reached
to show agreement with physiological data. PV loops show the Starling behavior of the hydraulic simulator. Valves have high leakage.
HR = 90 [bpm]; Cas= 1.2, Cvs= 80, Cla= 10 [ml/mmHg]; Rid= 0.035, Rii= 10, Rod= 0.065, Roi= 6 [mmHg*s/ml], and by varying Pms from 7 to 10 [mmHg] and Ras from 0.7 to 1.2 [mmHg*s/ml].

Pms increase Pms decrease Ras increase Ras decrease

Fig. 5 – Pressure data (bleu: reference values for EHI; red: measured values into E-H-I; green: measured values into Cas)

Results in short

Pms ↑ Ras↑
Q↑ Q↓
Ves↑ Ves↑↑
Ved↑↑ Ved↑
SV↑ SV↓
Vmean↑ Vmean↑
Pas-mean↑ Pas-mean↑
Pas-min↑ Pas-min↑↑
Fig. 6 – Volume Data into E-H-I (bleu: Fig. 8 – P-V Loops (bleu:
Pas-max↑↑ Fig. 7 – P-V Loops (bleu:
instantaneous; magenta: max; green: Pas-max↑
reference, red: Pms increase) reference, red: Ras increase)
min; black: mean; red: stroke volume).