A hybrid mock circulatory system: development and testing of an electro-hydraulic impedance simulator.

Mock circulatory systems are used to test mechanical assist devices and for training and research purposes; when compared to numerical models, however, they are not flexible enough and rather expensive. The concept of merging numerical and physical models, resulting in a hybrid one, is applied here to represent the input impedance of the systemic arterial tree, by a conventional windkessel model built out of an electro-hydraulic (E-H) impedance simulator added to a hydraulic section. This model is inserted into an open loop circuit, completed by another hybrid model representing the ventricular function. The E-H impedance simulator is essentially an electrically controlled flow source (a gear pump). Referring to the windkessel model, it is used to simulate the peripheral resistance and the hydraulic compliance, creating the desired input impedance. The data reported describe the characterisation of the E-H impedance simulator and demonstrate its behaviour when it is connected to a hybrid ventricular model. Experiments were performed under different hemodynamic conditions, including the presence of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD).