Test apparatus providing pulsatile flow service for test samples

A test apparatus providing pulsatile flow service with a blood analog for replicating aspects of the human cardiovascular system in order to certify the operability and/or reliability of a chosen sample device, such as an implantable cardiovascular assist device, with flows and conditions that give the sample device a fairly real trial of operating in the environment of the human cardiovascular system before surgical implantation in a patient;

• comprising:
• a main circulation circuit for the blood analog comprising in series a pump providing flow in a sequence of pulses, a mock left ventricle, a mock aortic valve, a mock aorta, and a return loop that returns to the pump;
• and
• a bypass loop to bypass the mock aortic valve, originating on the left ventricle and terminating in the aorta, affording interconnection of the sample device;
• wherein the mock aorta comprises a plurality of elastic tube sections connected in series in progression of diminishing diameters, and inter-coupled by an adjustable flow restrictor(s), each elastic tube section selected for a compliance factor measuring between about a 7% to 12% expansion of the inside diameter for a 100 mm mercury step increase of inside pressure;
• whereby the selection over the compliance factors for the elastic tube sections as well as the adjustability of the intermediary flow restrictor(s) allows a user to tune the test apparatus for shaping various target waveforms in regards of flowrate and pressure against time as well as target forms of the peaks and drop-offs thereof in addition.