Reproduction of human blood pressure waveform using physiology-based cardiovascular simulator

Abstract This study presents a cardiovascular simulator that mimics the human cardiovascular system's physiological structure and properties to reproduce the human blood pressure waveform. Systolic, diastolic blood pressures, and its waveform are key indicators of cardiovascular health. The blood pressure waveform is closely related to the pulse wave velocity and the overlap of the forward and reflected pressure waves. The presented cardiovascular simulator includes an artificial aorta made of biomimetic silicone. The artificial aorta has the same shape and stiffness as the human standard and is encased with a compliance chamber. The compliance chamber prevents distortion of the blood pressure waveform from strain-softening by applying extravascular pressure. The blood pressure waveform reproduced by the simulator has a pressure range of 80–120 mmHg, a pulse wave velocity of 6.58 m/s, and an augmentation index of 13.3%. These values are in the middle of the human standard range, and the reproduced blood pressure waveform is similar to that of humans. The errors from the human standard values are less than 1 mmHg for blood pressure, 0.05 m/s for pulse wave velocity, and 3% for augmentation index. The changes in blood pressure waveform according to cardiovascular parameters, including heart rate, stroke volume, and peripheral resistance, were evaluated. The same pressure ranges and trends as in humans were observed for systolic and diastolic blood pressures according to cardiovascular parameters.