Design and Implementation of a Test Bench for Measurement and Characterization of Aortic Valve Behavior

Cardiac simulators are designed in order to simulate the behaviour of the heart and validate prosthetic heart valve. The aim of the present thesis is the validation of an experimental test bench that reproduce the cardiovascular system for the hemodynamic characterization of prosthetic aortic valve. The pulsatile activity of the heart has been simulated with a movement of a pump that causes the ventricular membrane displacement, according to the instantaneous volume of the left ventricle. The tests conducted involve both a validation of the pumping system through myRio and a validation of the pressure and flow waves acquired by the system using myDaq. As results, the laboratory test bench should be a valid testing system to evaluate the goodness of a prosthetic aortic valve and it could be considered as a starting point to provide reliable physiological parameters and curves with the objective to perform several tests on various types of aortic valves. In conclusion, future improvements of this system should be the evaluation of the cardiac simulator response in order to improve adaptation of test bench to physiological functioning of the heart, by improving both the control system and the manufacturing materials and sensors.