A Review of Human Circulatory System Simulation: Bridging the Gap between Engineering and Medicine

Abstract

(1) Background: Simulation-based training (SBT) is the practice of using hands-on training to immerse learners in a risk-free and high-fidelity environment. SBT is used in various fields due to its risk-free benefits from a safety and an economic perspective. In addition, SBT provides immersive training unmatched by traditional teaching the interactive visualization needed in particular scenarios. Medical SBT is a prevalent practice as it allows for a platform for learners to learn in a risk-free and cost-effective environment, especially in critical care, as mistakes could easily cause fatalities. An essential category of care is human circulatory system care (HCSC), which includes essential-to-simulate complications such as cardiac arrest. (2) Methods: In this paper, a deeper look onto existing human circulatory system medical SBT is presented to assess and highlight the important features that should be present with a focus on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation cannulation (ECMO) simulators and cardiac catheterization. (3) Results: A list of features is also suggested for an ideal simulator to bridge the gap between medical studies and simulator engineering, followed by a case study of an ECMO SBT system design. (4) Conclusions: a collection and discussion of existing work for HCSC SBT are portrayed as a guide for researchers and practitioners to compare existing SBT and recreating them effectively.

Virtual and Artificial Cardiorespiratory Patients in Medicine and Biomedical Engineering

“…ECMO is a medical technology that has two applications: for cardiovascular support (by venous-arterial (V-A) cannulation) and for treatment of acute respiratory failure (by veno-venous (V-V) cannulation). An enormous increase of ECMO centers in recent years was observed [42] and in order to increase patients' safety and to optimize ECMO efficacy, both training simulators as well as hybrid simulators are needed [43][44][45][46][47][48]. The simulators can help in ECMO system training, enabling, in some cases, high fidelity clinical scenarios [43,44] or to study the hemodynamic effect of ECMO on the left ventricular loading in a V-A configuration and the parasitic effect of blood recirculation in V-V cannulation [46].…”

“…An enormous increase of ECMO centers in recent years was observed [42] and in order to increase patients' safety and to optimize ECMO efficacy, both training simulators as well as hybrid simulators are needed [43][44][45][46][47][48]. The simulators can help in ECMO system training, enabling, in some cases, high fidelity clinical scenarios [43,44] or to study the hemodynamic effect of ECMO on the left ventricular loading in a V-A configuration and the parasitic effect of blood recirculation in V-V cannulation [46]. However, these simulators usually can only mimic the hemodynamic physical effect when connected to an actual ECMO.…”

IoT-Based Early Detection of Cardiovascular Disease with Ankle Brachial Index Measurement for Right and Left Body Simultaneously

“…The heart and blood vessels are the parts of the human body's cardiovascular system that play a central role in the circulatory system (Mahmoud et al, 2021). The heart's main function is to pump blood throughout the body, delivering oxygen and essential nutrients to all cells and tissues (Verzicco, 2022).…”