Experimental studies of cardiovascular assist device and coronary artery model with mock circulatory loop

Abstract

The mock circulatory loop (MCL) is an in vitro experimental system that can provide continuous pulsatile flows and simulate different physiological or pathological parameters of the human circulation system. With MCL, experimental studies can be conducted to investigate clinical problems in vitro. Cardiovascular diseases associated with coronary artery are the most significant issues causing human deaths. The coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a surgery procedure for treating the coronary artery disease. Therefore, silicone models of coronary artery and graft anastomosis with a 45-degree end-to-side structure are connected in the circulation of MCL system. Simulated boold flows can be in vitro studied for understanding the causes of coronary artery diseases and graft failure in the aspect of hemodynamics. Moreover, percutaneous ventricular assist device (pVAD) is an effective method to treat heart failure, but its complications, mainly including hemolysis and thrombus formation, cannot be ignored. Hydraulic performance and hemolysis experiments are essential to guide the development of pVAD. The experiments on testing thrombus location can help reducing the incidence of complications.