Hydraulic Heart Simulator for Extracorporeal Device Training
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current patient simulators, especially those based solely on software, lack the realism to adequately prepare healthcare students for actual patient care scenarios, as they fail to accurately simulate the physical interactions and stressors of real-world medical conditions, leading to potential errors and safety issues.
Innovation Solution
A hydraulic-based hardware and software simulation system that models a human heart and patient, integrating with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary support devices, using proprietary cardiovascular and respiratory models, sensors, and actuators to create a realistic and reactive simulation, including dynamic responses to therapeutic devices and displaying vital signs on virtual monitors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a patient simulator is implemented substantially in software, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but the realism and depth of simulation deteriorates, failing to adequately model external stressors and physical interactions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines software-based patient simulation with a physical heart simulator that includes a pulsating heart model, fluid circulation system, and mechanical components. This merger allows the system to maintain software ease of operation while adding physical realism through the heart model's appearance, movement, and physiological responses.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical heart simulator acts as an intermediary between the software control system and the trainee. It translates software-generated physiological parameters into tangible physical cues such as heartbeats, pulse waves, and blood flow, providing realistic feedback that software alone cannot deliver.
2Ease of manufacture
If a simulated heart uses simplified models, then the ease of manufacture and operation is improved, but the accuracy of simulating real patient conditions deteriorates, potentially leading to wrong training cues
Solution Approach 1:
The heart simulator implements different levels of fidelity in different components. The visual appearance, tactile feel, and basic pulsation mechanics are highly detailed to provide authentic feedback, while internal physiological models use simplified algorithms that are sufficient for training purposes but easier to manufacture and control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts physiological parameters such as heart rate, contractility, and blood pressure to match real patient conditions. By changing these parameters in response to simulated pathological conditions, the system achieves high accuracy without requiring complex permanent structures, maintaining ease of manufacture while improving measurement precision.
3Reliability
If a patient simulator provides comprehensive physical feedback, then the training effectiveness is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The simulation system is divided into modular components: a software control module, a physical heart model, fluid circulation system, and sensor array. Each module can be independently developed, tested, and maintained, reducing overall system complexity while enabling comprehensive physical feedback for effective training.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides a highly accurate simulation of heart performance and patient behavior, enhancing the training of medical staff by mimicking real-world conditions, thereby reducing errors and improving preparedness for actual patient care scenarios.
Implementation Method 1
A hydraulic based hardware and software simulation system which models a human heart
Implementation Method 2
an expandable balloon disposed in at least one of the multiple chambers of the heart model, wherein the expandable balloon is coupled to the fluid circuit
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A
AI summary
A system, method, and apparatus for a patient simulator that interacts with a diagnostic or therapeutic medical device. The system includes a computing device coupled to a patient module. The patient module includes hydraulic equipment that simulates a baseline fluid interconnection with a therapeutic device. The computing device manages physical and virtual data, provides algorithmic calculations for simulating hypothetical patient vital signs, long-term clinical course, and simulates related fluid properties. The simulation system automatically executes a step-wise clinical scenario, specified in a spreadsheet format of patient conditions and equipment scenarios, that also includes audio/visual stimuli of operating room and diagnostic clinic environments, along with data recording capabilities. The therapeutic device can be a heart lung machine (HLM), an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine, an emergency cardiac life support (ECLS) device, a ventricular assist device (VAD), a dialysis machines, a hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) machine, and an aortic balloon pump.