Development of a Computational Simulator of the Physiological Control of Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs)

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is a significant global health issue and considered the most debilitating form of Heart Failure with the heart unable to efficiently pump enough blood to the body, resulting in a high risk of mortality. Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs) are utilized for providing mechanical circulatory assistance for patients with CHF. LVADs can generate pulsatile or continuous flows. Continuous flow LVADs may induce a more physiological flow pattern with some degree of pulsatility when the device is operated using a physiological type of controller. We present a computational simulator that can be used to compare hemodynamic responses of a simulated patient implanted with a LVAD, operated with or without a physiological controller. The computational simulator described here includes: (i) simulations of the patient’s condition; (ii) mathematical models of the estimators and sensors; and (iii) LVAD physiological control algorithms. The application of the simulator allowed us to investigate the performance of physiological control strategies considering various scenarios for LVAD applications.