Evaluation of flow biosensor technology in a chronically-instrumented non-human primate model

The Physiology Research Branch at Brooks AFB conducts both human and non-human primate experiments to determine the effects of microgravity and hypergravity on the cardiovascular system and to identify the particular mechanisms that invoke these responses. Primary investigative research efforts in a non-human primate model require the calculation of total peripheral resistance (TPR), systemic arterial compliance (SAC), and pressure-volume loop characteristics. These calculations require beat-to-beat measurement of aortic flow. We have evaluated commercially available electromagnetic (EMF) and transit-time flow measurement techniques. In vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that the average error of these techniques as less than 25 percent for EMF and less than 10 percent for transit-time.