Activation of a Soft Robotic Left Ventricular Phantom Embedded in a Closed-Loop Cardiovascular Simulator: A...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cardiovascular Research
• Robotics in Medicine

Background:

• Cardiovascular simulators are crucial for preclinical medical device testing.
• Increased realism in simulators enhances the reliability of preclinical results.
• Physiologically accurate simulation is key for advancing cardiovascular medical device development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a physiologically actuated soft robotic left ventricle (SRLV) within a hybrid cardiovascular simulator.
• To introduce and analyze a novel hydraulic pressure-based activation method for the SRLV.
• To computationally and experimentally validate the SRLV's performance in simulating cardiovascular conditions.

Main Methods:

• Developed a patient-specific SRLV phantom from CT scans using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA).
• Implemented a hybrid (in silico-in vitro) simulator integrating the SRLV.
• Utilized a finite element (FE) model for SRLV verification and a novel activation method to regulate left ventricular volume and pressure.

Main Results:

• The FE model and hybrid simulator accurately represented in silico data with deviations below 8.09% and 10%, respectively.
• The implemented activation method effectively regulated left ventricular volume and pressure.
• Experimental validation in the hybrid simulator confirmed the method's efficacy, with minimal deviations.

Conclusions:

• The developed activation method successfully represents diverse pressure-volume loops, validated both numerically and experimentally.
• This high-fidelity platform offers a robust foundation for testing cardiovascular medical devices under physiological conditions.
• The study advances the capability of cardiovascular simulators for more reliable preclinical assessments.