Applications
3D Printed Heart Valves from Silicone
A team of researchers from ETH Zurich has teamed up with South African company Strait Access Technologies to create artificial 3D printed heart valves from silicone. These could serve as replacement valves for an aging population – they represent a…
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A team of researchers from ETH Zurich has teamed up with South African company Strait Access Technologies to create artificial 3D printed heart valves from silicone. These could serve as replacement valves for an aging population – they represent a viable solution as they are easier to manufacture and much more accessible than those that already exist on the market today.
According to a study published by Sewell-Loftin MK, 850,000 people worldwide will need artificial heart valves by 2050 due to an aging population, lack of physical exercise and poor nutrition. Additive manufacturing could provide a way to meet this important need: in the medical sector, it allows each device to be personalised to the patient. So we could have 3D printed valves, designed according to the heart of each person. ETH Zurich and Strait Access Technologies are anticipating this demand by carrying out initial silicone tests.
Credits: Fergal Coulter / ETH Zurich
Before explaining the process of creating these 3D printed valves, it is important to review their role. Our heart consists of four chambers, each with a valve that allows the blood flow to move in one direction only. If one of the four valves does not work properly (leakage, narrowing, distension), blood returns to the atria or ventricles, weakening the heart. This is why arrhythmias and heart failures are observed. This is where artificial valves come in: they can be inserted to ensure good blood flow.
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