Stereolithography for Personalized Left Atrial Appendage Occluders.

ABSTRACT: Advancements in 3D additive manufacturing have spurred the development of effective patient-specific medical devices. Prior applications are limited to hard materials, however, with few implementations of soft devices that better match the properties of natural tissue. This paper introduces a rapid, low cost, and scalable process for fabricating soft, personalized medical implants via stereolithography of elastomeric polyurethane resin. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated by designing and manufacturing patient-specific endocardial implants. These devices occlude the left atrial appendage, a complex structure within the heart prone to blood clot formation in patients with atrial fibrillation. Existing occluders permit residual blood flow and can damage neighboring tissues. He

SUBMITTER: Robinson SS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6892588 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature