Passive aortic counterpulsation: Biomechanical rationale and bench validation

Using a cardiovascular simulator and changing the reservoir pressure, a systolic not negligible (7.8 ml) gas volume exchange between the intra-aortic balloon and the reservoir was measured. The same cardiovascular simulator was used to demonstrate an increase in stroke volume in three conditions of progressive ventricular failure, by detecting a change in systolic and diastolic arterial pressures and stroke volume (SV). The maximal arterial pressure always decreased and the diastolic pressure increased. The SV increased up to 7.8%, demonstrating an arterial elastance reduction and better ventricular-aortic mechanical matching and energy transfer.