A naturally shaped silicone ventricle evaluated in a mock circulation loop: a preliminary study.
Mock circulation loops are used to evaluate the performance of cardiac assist devices prior to animal and clinical testing. A compressible, translucent silicone ventricle chamber that mimics the exact size, shape and motion of a failing heart is desired to assist in flow visualization studies around inflow cannulae during VAD support. The aim of this study was therefore to design and construct a naturally shaped flexible left ventricle and evaluate its performance in a mock circulation loop. The ventricle shape was constructed by the use of CT images taken from a patient experiencing cardiomyopathic heart failure and used to create a 3D image and subsequent mould to produce a silicone ventricle. Different cardiac conditions were successfully simulated to validate the ventricle performance, including rest, left heart failure and VAD support.
Gregory
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School of Engineering Systems and Medical Device Domain, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Queensland, Australia. shaun.gregory@qut.edu.au
Timms
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Pearcy
M J
MJ
Tansley
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