Heart and Circulator System

The study, which used two different types of circulatory models including a silicone heart model, was carried out by RCSI in collaboration with the National College of Art and Design (NCAD). The research is published in the current edition of ‘Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine’. 

There are two common types of heart failure: Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF) and Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF).  Ejection fraction is the measurement used to determine the heart’s ability to pump oxygen-rich blood through the body.

In recent years, the number of patients presenting with heart failure with normal or preserved ejection fraction measurement is increasing, most likely due to the increase in prevalence of common risk factors, including old age, high blood pressure and obesity. Women are at greater risk than men.

In this research from RCSI, a model called a ‘mock circulatory loop’ was developed to mimic both a healthy heart and a heart in failure with preserved ejection fraction.  The model enables potential heart failure treatment devices to be examined in terms of their effect on both chambers in the left side of the heart.