Determination of Electrode Assembly Parameters for Electroimpedance Measurement of AHV Volume

The article describes the results of modeling of various electrode assemblies and search for the optimal one for continuous determination of the fluid volume in an artificial heart ventricle (AHV). The modeling process was based on the finite element analysis and performed in ANSYS software. The following electrode assembly parameters are considered: the distance between the measuring electrodes, the radius of the electrode and the distance between the current electrodes. The article provides data from the World Health Organization on the prevalence and mortality from cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Currently, the most effective treatment for acute cardiac failure is heart transplantation or mechanical blood circulation support (MBCS) device implantation. The heart transplantation is still considered the “gold standard” in the treatment of end-stage cardiac distress. Regardless of the constantly growing number of severe patients, the number of donor hearts transplanted annually remains almost unchanged. The feasible method for supporting such patients is the application of MBCS devices. Thus, the development of new MBCS devices represents the significant problem of modern biomedical engineering. The electrode assembly designed in this study is intended for development of a test bench for new MBCS devices. Due to the continuous determination the volume of fluid in the AHV and adaptive control of its operation, it will be possible to simulate the cardiac performance under normal conditions and in the presence of pathologies, according to the Frank-Starling mechanism. Thus, the results of the modeling will be essential in the development of a biotechnical system of adaptive control of the artificial heart ventricles.