Patent ID: 8230717

Claim:
An apparatus for testing paravalvular leakage, comprising: a pulse chamber pressure vessel having a top, a bottom, at least one side, an interior volume, an inlet and an outlet; at least one valve mounting opening in the bottom of the pulse chamber pressure vessel, the valve mounting opening in fluid communication with the interior volume; a flexible valve ring mounting member mounted about each valve mounting opening for mounting a sewing ring of a prosthetic heart valve thereto, said mounting member being an annular member having a central opening for receiving at least part of the prosthetic heart valve, wherein the prosthetic heart valve contains movable elements; a pulsatile pump, having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the pump outlet is fluidly connected to the inlet of the pulse chamber pressure vessel, and the inlet of the pump is fluidly connected to the outlet of the pulse chamber pressure vessel; and, a drip collection chamber vessel having an inlet and an outlet, the drip collection chamber vessel in fluid communication with each prosthetic heart valve to collect paravalvular leakage.