CCRG has partnered with the University of Twente to offer three exciting projects to Masters students within the Innovative Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology Laboratory (ICETLab).

Please find references below from the project overviews.

Above: CCRG’s world-leading Mock Circulatory Loop

Project: Enhancement of a Modular Mock Circulatory Loop (MCL) for Advanced Cardiovascular and Mechanical Ventilation Simulation

References:

  1. Gregory, S.D., et al., An advanced mock circulation loop for in vitro cardiovascular device evaluation. Artif Organs, 2020. 44(6): p. E238-E250.

  2. Agrafiotis, E., et al., Review of Systemic Mock Circulation Loops for Evaluation of Implantable Cardiovascular Devices and Biological Tissues. J Endovasc Ther, 2024: p. 15266028241235876.

  3. Farahmand, M., et al., Mock circulatory loop generated database for dynamic characterization of pressure-based cardiac output monitoring systems. Comput Biol Med, 2023. 160: p. 106979.

Project: Develop of Patient-Specific Cardiovascular Models for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Experimental Testing

References:

  1. Heinsar, S., et al., An innovative ovine model of severe cardiopulmonary failure supported by veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Sci Rep, 2021. 11(1): p. 20458.

  2. Zhu, Z., et al., A randomized cohort study on the use of 3D printed models to enhance surgical training in suturing techniques. Sci Rep, 2025. 15(1): p. 636.

Above: A patient receives ECMO, a life-sustaining therapy

Above: Dr Eric Wu, CCRG Lead Engineer

Project: Algorithm for Cardiac Function Assessment: Estimating Myocardial Contractility and Preload from Blood Pressure Waveforms

References:

  1. Roshdy, A., et al., CRITICAL CARE ECHO ROUNDS: Haemodynamic instability. Echo Res Pract, 2014. 1(1): p. D1-8.

  2. Ameloot, K., et al., Accuracy of continuous thermodilution cardiac output monitoring by pulmonary artery catheter during therapeutic hypothermia in post-cardiac arrest patients. Resuscitation, 2014. 85(9): p. 1263-8.

About the Critical Care Research Group

The Critical Care Research Group (CCRG) is one of Australia’s leading critical care research facilities. We are dedicated to improving patient outcomes through a better understanding of the disease process, of the technology and of treatments - always with the patient at the centre.

We are driven to improving our clinical understanding of the many issues that face critically ill patients and finding new and revolutionised treatment methods for hard-to-treat diseases. Through our research, we aim to improve survival rates and the quality of life for patients with heart disease, lung disease, sepsis and other critical conditions.

With a network spanning more than 60 countries, CCRG is home to several purpose-built labs including the largest preclinical ICU in the southern hemisphere.

Innovative Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology Laboratory (ICETLab)

CCRG’s ICETLab facilitates the transition of innovative cardiovascular technologies from idea to clinical implementation, whilst also investigating the clinical challenges facing existing technology.