Patent ID: 7587949
Filing Date: 2009-09-15
Classification: A61F,G01N

Abstract:
1. A system comprising: a chamber flow loop including a sample chamber, the sample chamber characterized by a chamber pressure, the chamber pressure determined by a chamber pump upstream of the sample chamber and a chamber flow restriction valve downstream of the sample chamber; a sample flow loop including a sample holder disposed in the sample chamber, a mean flow pump, a pulsatile flow pump, and a variable flow restriction valve; and a controller operating the mean flow pump and the pulsatile flow pump to provide a user-defined pulsatile fluid flow rate to a sample in the sample holder, the controller operating the variable flow restriction valve to maintain a sample pressure according to a user-defined sample pressure, the controller operating the chamber flow restriction valve to cause a pressure difference between the sample pressure and the chamber pressure, the pressure difference proportional to a user-defined radial stress applied to the sample.