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Pulsatile flow pump based on an iterative controlled piston pump actuator as an in-vitro cardiovascular flow model
Joonyeong Kim1, Youngjin Lee1, Seongwook Choi1
1Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, South Korea.
Medical Engineering & Physics
|January 12, 2020
Summary
Researchers developed a programmable pulsatile flow pump for in-vitro cardiovascular research. This device accurately replicates physiological flow waveforms, reducing the need for expensive equipment and ethical concerns associated with animal testing.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cardiovascular Research
- Medical Device Development
Background:
- In-vitro cardiovascular experiments are crucial for medical device characterization, offering ethical and cost advantages over in-vivo studies.
- Simulating complex cardiovascular systems requires accurate reproduction of physiological flow waveforms.
- Existing methods may involve costly equipment or lack precision in waveform replication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design a fully programmable pulsatile flow pump capable of accurately reproducing diverse physiological flow waveforms.
- To eliminate the need for expensive transient flowmeters in in-vitro cardiovascular setups.
- To enhance the reliability and cost-effectiveness of cardiovascular device testing.
Main Methods:
- Development of a programmable pulsatile flow pump system.
- Implementation of an iterative control algorithm (ICA) for waveform accuracy.
- System calibration and validation using flow rate and stroke volume measurements.
Main Results:
- The developed pulsatile pump successfully replicated desired flow waveforms with high accuracy.
- Achieved root mean square errors (RMSEs) of 0.64 L/min for flow rate and 0.52 mL for stroke volume.
- Demonstrated consistent and accurate reproduction of a wide range of physiological flow patterns.
Conclusions:
- The designed pulsatile flow pump is an effective tool for in-vitro cardiovascular research.
- The system offers accurate physiological waveform replication without costly flowmeters.
- This technology advances cost-effective and ethically sound medical device evaluation.
