Development of a Cardiovascular Simulator for Studying Pulse Diagnosis Mechanisms

This research was undertaken to develop a cardiovascular simulator for use in the study of pulse diagnosis. The physical (i.e., pulse wave transmission and reflection) and physiological (i.e., systolic and diastolic pressure, pulse pressure, and mean pressure) characteristics of the radial pulse wave were reproduced by our simulator. The simulator consisted of an arterial component and a pulse-generating component. Computer simulation was used to simplify the arterial component while maintaining the elastic modulus and artery size. To improve the reflected wave characteristics, a palmar arch was incorporated within the simulator. The simulated radial pulse showed good agreement with clinical data.