A control circuit for monitoring operation of an implantable blood pump, the control circuit operatively couplable to a testing apparatus for simulating blood pump operating conditions and testing the control circuit based on the simulated blood pump operating conditions. The control circuit includes an input module for receiving at least one of one of actual operating data from an implantable blood pump and simulated operating data from the testing apparatus. A processor for processing the received operating data is included, the processor configured to determine a source of the received operating data, and to determine whether the received operating data is actual operating data or simulated operating data based on the determined source.
