Design of a Mechanical Cardiovascular Sinulator

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a study to determine design values for the basic hydraulic parameters of a mechanical pulse duplicator that reproduces as many of the significant source and load characteristics as possible. The method of approach used in this study has been to first investigate the physiological system to find what parameters are important to the production of the dynamic pressure-flow situation in the vicinity of the heart valves. A conceptual mechanical model was then developed that would use these same parameters to model the source and load characteristics. Finally, an electronic analog computer was used to find design values for the mechanical model and test its response as compared to published data on response of the human cardiovascular system. Design values are presented in tabular form. Waveform recordings of system responses are shown along with similar recordings reported in the literature, and comparisons are made.