A in Vitro Testing System of Prosthetic Valves Under Atrial Fibrillation

The performance of prosthetic valves has been evaluated under normal rhythmic pumping conditions using a mock circulatory system without a left atrium-like chamber. In order to perform in-vitro evaluations under irregular pumping rhythm conditions, such as atrial fibrillation, the authors made up a new mock circulatory system which drives ventricular and atrial chambers separately. In this system, analysis of the motion of valve occluders, triggered from clinically recorded ECG, was designed and confirmed by in vitro testing