Rendering courtesy of washington university school of medicine
3D printing a heart.
Built by researchers from Washington University and the University of Illinois, this innovation of moderntechnology uses MRI or CT scans to produce a custom mold of the heart with a 3-D printer. From this mold, scientists create an elastic membrane that can help monitor and correct cardiac activity. These custom membranes might one day serve as a more adaptable substitute for pacemakers.
Making a Blueprint
The scans that the printers use to create the models are typical MRI or CT scans, which make the printout easily adaptable to a variety of situations.
Running the Copy
The device used to print the heart models is a relatively inexpensive 3-D printer that biomedical engineers have altered to develop the prototypes.
Slipping on Silicon
The membrane is composed of a specific type of silicon that’s safe to insert inside the body, allowing treatment of cardiac disorders and measurement of temperature and mechanical strain, among other markers.
Listening to the Heart By placing sensors on various areas of the membrane, doctors will be able to monitor certain classes of arrhythmias,or irregular heartbeats.
Cardio Care—Now in 3-D!
Sure, 3-D is all the rage at movie theaters, but it’s also making a splash on medical campuses. In addition to the efforts at Wash. U., SLU cardiologists recently created a 3-D model of a 12-year-old patient’s heart. Dr. Wilson King, a SLUCare pediatric cardiologist, developed the model on the basis of an MRI and collaborated with the university’s Parks College of Engineering, Aviation, and Technology to produce a replica, using a 3-D printer. It allowed surgeons to study the heart of the patient, who has complex congenital heart disease, and to design a plan for surgery at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center.
