Heart string is a cardiovascular simulator that permits to simulate ventricular desynchronization and resynchronization, infarcted areas and aneurysms, particularly shaped dilatations and restrictions.
| Patent title | Heart string |
|---|---|
| Thematic area | Health |
| Ownership | ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - UNIVERSITA' DI BOLOGNA |
| Inventors | Romano Zannoli, Ivan Corazza |
| Protection | Italy |
| Licensing status | Available for development agreements, option, license and other exploitation agreements |
| Keywords | Cardiovascular mock, Tangential contraction, Ventricular aiding device (VAD), Heart failure, Physiological simulation. |
| Filed on | 20 March 2018 |
Most mechanical cardiovascular simulators can produce “physiological” pressure and flow signals, with possibilities to change the operative conditions (resistance, compliance, etc..). The situation is different for ventricular simulators, when not only pressure and volume has to be simulated but also the wall movements are important (i.e. to test innovative implantable devices). It is the case, for example, of new implantable mitral valves, which mechanical performance depends not only on the atrio-ventricular pressure gradients, but also on the movement of the ventricular wall immediately close to the valvular leaflets.
Heart String permits this kind of simulation. In fact the movement of the ventricular wall is obtained mimicking the physiological tangential fiber contraction and it is possible to change the “local” behavior by regulating the timing and the action of four actuators.
Heart String allows to simulate ventricular desynchronization and resyncrhonization, infarcted areas and aneurysms, particularly shaped dilatations and restrictions. Moreover Heart string can be positioned under X-ray imaging detectors to obtain angiographic images and to analyze them as usual for patients.