RESEARCH

Applications of a novel reciprocating positive displacement pump in the simulation of pulsatile arterial blood flow

This study presents the testing and verification of a novel positive displacement pump and
operating program through the simulation of literature-based blood flow data of organ systems spanning human ocular, human fingertip and skin surface, human cerebral, and rodent spleen. This pump aims to, unlike current state of the art pumps, to generate a wide range of high shear rate, pulsatile bulk flow rates while resolving issues of setup time and cost which feature in previous in-vitro modelling flow generating pumps. This is achieved through the use of a syringe-based positive displacement method of driving fluid flow in conjunction with the precise control of programmable input variables through a user interface.

In Vitro Modeling of Obstructive Failure of Hydrocephalus Shunts

Alone or in combination with previously-published culture models of shunt obstruction, this model serves as a relevant test bed to analyze mechanisms of shunt failure and to test catheter modifications that will prevent cell attachment and growth.

Elucidating Cellular Mechanisms Underlying Ventricular Catheter Obstruction

Shunt obstruction by cells and/or tissue is the most common cause of shunt failure. Ventricular catheter obstruction alone accounts for more than 50% of shunt failures in pediatric patients. The authors sought to systematically collect explanted ventricular catheters from the Seattle Children's Hospital with a focus on elucidating the cellular mechanisms underlying obstruction.

Using In Vitro Cell Culture Models with Arduino Based Flow and Pressure Modulation to study the effect of circadian rhythms on ventricular shunt obstruction

In this study, we demonstrate a scalable system that regulates flowrate, pressure, and pulsation amplitude. We also show that with new microcontroller technology, up to 15chambers running in parallel is theoretically possible. Our system, the Flow Limiting Operator (FLO),achieves these goals by multiplexing a series of valves and pumps to control pressure and volumetricflow rate instead of relying on head gas pressure.