Characterization of a pediatric rotary blood pump

Introduction: A ventricular assist device (VAD) is an electromechanical pump used to treat heart failures. For designing the physiological control system for a VAD, one needs a mathematical model and its related parameters. This paper presents a characterization procedure for determining the model parameter values of the electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic subsystems of a pediatric Rotary Blood Pump (pRBP). Methods: An in vitro test setup consisting of a pRBP prototype, a motor driver module, an acrylic reservoir, mechanical resistance and tubings, pressure and fluid flow sensors, and data acquisition, processing, and visualization system. The proposed procedure requires a set of experimental tests, and a parameter estimation algorithm for determining the model parameters values. Results: The operating limits of the pRBP were identified from the steady-state data. The relationship between the pressure head, flow rate, and the rotational speed of the pRBP was found from the static tests. For the electrical and mechanical subsystems, the dc motor model has a viscous friction coefficient that varies nonlinearly with the flow. For the hydraulic subsystem, the pressure head is assumed to be a sum of terms related to the resistance, the inertance, the friction coefficient, and the pump speed. Conclusion: The proposed methodology was successfully applied to the characterization of the pRBP. The combined use of static and dynamic tests provided a precise lumped parameter model for representing the pRBP dynamics. The agreement, regarding mean squared deviation, between experimental and simulated results demonstrates the correctness and feasibility of the characterization procedure.