An on-line method for evaluation of the in vitro pulsatile pressure drop and regurgitative characteristics of prosthetic heart valves.

An on-line digital method is described for analyzing the pressure drop and regurgitative characteristics of prosthetic heart valves in a pulse duplicator system. The method is based on the Apple II microcomputer system but could be modified to be used with most microcomputers currently available. The digital data collection system is synchronized with the pulse duplicator system, and is programmed to collect the relevant pressure (upstream and downstream) and volumetric flow data for 10 cardiac cycles at a given time. The system is relatively easy to use and gives the scientist a fair amount of flexibility in terms of data collection, storage, and analysis. The on-line method has been used with the pulse duplicator of the Georgia Institute of Technology for the past 3 years.