Heart Prints

From hearing aids to implants, 3D printing in the medical field has come a long way in recent years. Now, 3D printed heart valve models (pictured) have been created that mimic the shape and function of the valves in our heart. By using CT scans of patients’ hearts, researchers created the 3D valves using soft and hard materials crafted from a multi-material printer. These valves are able to mimic the mechanical properties and behaviour of human heart valves, reducing the chance of leaks around a replacement valve, a common problem with replacements, affecting around 50–80% of patients. The 3D printed valves could help to improve patient outcomes and avoid long-term complications following heart valve replacement surgery.

Written by Katie Panteli

Katie Panteli

Writer

Katie, a Warwick Biomed graduate, works for a science-publishing house in London with some of the world's most respected scientific minds. She's most interested in human biology, anything and everything that makes us tick.

• Image from work by Zhen Qian and colleagues
• Department of Cardiovascular Imaging, Piedmont Heart Institute, Atlanta, GA, USA
• Image copyright held by Elsevier 2017
• Published in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, July 2017