Researchers develop beating, 3D-printed heart model for surgical practice

Washington State University researchers have developed a 3D-printed model of the left side of the heart that contracts and beats. The model gives surgeons and medical students a chance to rehearse heart surgeries on a replica that acts like the real organ. The researchers performed a valve repair on the model and confirmed the outcome with ultrasound imaging and sensors. The work is detailed in the journal Advanced Materials Technologies. Corresponding author Kaiyan Qiu said the model is useful for doctors to practice while the heart is still beating, especially for minimally invasive surgery. He added that it is the first fully synthetic model to mimic the complete left side of the heart without animal assistance and that it incorporates both anatomic features and dynamic functions. The model includes the atrium, ventricle and mitral valve. It has a soft texture similar to a real heart along with tiny pneumatic actuators that pump the model and string-like material that manages mitral valve movement. Sensors monitor blood pressure as imitation blood flows through. First author Alejandro Guillen Obando noted that other synthetic models are mostly mold-casted and cannot replicate some of the complex curvatures found in the heart. The researchers used a scan of a real heart to print the replica. They then created a defective mitral valve, repaired it with a device similar to commercial versions and verified through sensors and imaging that blood was no longer regurgitating. The team has filed a provisional patent and is developing a full four-chamber heart model. They plan to conduct patient-specific rehearsals with medical professionals and students. The project received funding from the National Science Foundation as well as WSU Cougar Cage Funds and the Commercialization Special Project Fund.