A FLEXIBLE PRESSURE PUMP FOR CARDIOVASCULAR STUDIES

Pressure pumps are useful in cardiovascular studies and in the evaluat ion of many circulatory devices. Currently available pumps are, howeve r, far from perfect in their methods of synchronization, flexibility, and frequency response. To overcome these disadvantages, this study re ports the design of a new pressure pump based on a linear motor. The p ump can accurately synchronize with an animal's heart beats by using a phase-lock loop (PLL) technique. It has great flexibility and the abi lity to generate both arbitrary pressure waves and pure sinusoidal wav es. The pressure pump has a frequency response of up to 50Hz which is suitable for cardiovascular studies on rats, rabbits, cats and dogs.