Bollettino della Comunit? Scientifica in Australasia
Abstract
Located in the Italian city of Latina, near Rome, the LABoEx certainly represents a one-of-its kind concentrate of know-how and advanced research in the field of Cardiovascular disease. Conceived during a meeting between cardiologists and bioengineers, LAboEx was created in reply to the shared needs for an in-depth understanding of the many variables and parameters of the cardiovascular system and of their interaction with mechanical assist devices (such as the oxygenator, the intra-aortic balloon pump, centrifugal pump, the ventricular assist device, the ventilatory assistance etc). The initial idea, brought forth by the bioengineers, was to develop a tool of diverse numerical models that could simulate the behaviour of the cardiovascular system in presence of different mechanical cardiac or ventilatory assist devices. The concept was then extended by the cardiologists who suggested to extend its application in predicting, starting from few cardiovascular variables (measured non invasively), the trend, or better, the behaviour of those variables that cannot be directly measured on the patient. The successive step was use numerical models ad hoc for patents affected by specific pathologies, hence providing the physician a tool for deciding the most appropriate strategies for the patient. From there, the group developed the idea of orienting the cardiovascular numerical models also towards other applications, such as a commercial device that monitors the correct functioning of a 24-hr blood pressure Holter. Indeed, the laboratory of the Institute of Clinical Physiology of the Italian National Research Council (C.N.R.) has already started working towards the realization of a software tool (CARDIOSIM?) aimed at simulating the behaviour of the cardiovascular system. This modular software was developed by Italian researchers together with colleagues from the Institute of Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering, IBIBPAN Warsaw, Poland, of the Iwate Prefectural University in Japan, the Biomedical Engineering and Cardiothoracic Surgery of the University Medical Center Groningen in Holland, and the N.I.H in the USA. The software implements on a PC platform a family of lumped parameter circulatory models designed to be used in clinical, research, and educational applications. The family of the circulatory models represents the circulation at the level of large vessels and allows to evaluate the global effects of external disturbances (pathologies, therapies, mechanical assistance, special environments or surgery) on the circulatory system. The software tool simulates different mechanical heart assist devices, like left and right Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) and Intraaortic Balloon Pumping (IABP): both pulsatile and continuous flow VAD can be used inside the tool. Also the mechanical ventilatory assistance is implemented
