The procedure involves converting medical images of a patient’s heart into a 3D computer model that researchers can then 3D print using polymer-based inks. The result is a soft, flexible shell that precisely mimics the shape of the patient’s own heart. The team could also use this approach to print a patient’s aorta.

To mimic the pumping action of the heart, the team made blood pressure cuff-like sheaths that wrap around the imprinted heart and aorta. When the cuff is connected to a pneumatic system, the researchers can adjust the exhaust air to rhythmically inflate the cuff’s bubbles and contract the heart, mimicking the pumping function of the heart.

Researchers can also inflate a separate cuff surrounding the compressed aorta to narrow the vessel. They say this narrowing can be adjusted to mimic aortic stenosis, a condition in which the aortic valve narrows, causing the heart to work harder.

Source: Ferra

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