Test bench assembly for the simulation of cardiac surgery and/or interventional cardiology operations and/or procedures

A test bench assembly for simulating cardiac surgery and/or interventional cardiology operations and/or procedures, comprising:

• a passive heart, wherein said passive heart is an explanted or artificial or hybrid heart, said passive heart having at least one pair of cardiac chambers comprising an atrial chamber and a ventricular chamber;
• said passive heart further comprising at least one outflow valve positioned at an outlet of said ventricular chamber of said at least one pair of cardiac chambers;
• a reservoir, adapted to house working fluid;
• a pressure generator, adapted to provide said passive heart with a pumping function by pumping said working fluid, said pressure generator being fluidically connected both to said ventricular chamber of said passive heart by at least one ventricular conduit and to said reservoir by a reservoir conduit;
• at least one pressure regulation device which provides the working fluid in input to the atrial chamber with preload pressure and the working fluid in output from the ventricular chamber and downstream of the outflow valve with afterload pressure;
• said at least one pressure regulation device being fluidically connected both to said atrial chamber of said passive heart by a diastole branch and to said ventricular chamber of said passive heart through said outflow valve, by a systole branch;
• wherein said at least one pressure regulation device comprises a single compliant element for each pair of cardiac chambers, said single compliant element acting as an expansion vessel, said single compliant element providing the working fluid with both preload pressure and afterload pressure.