3D Printing and Open3DP Labs at University of Washington

The University of Washington is using their highly advanced 3D printing education program and the related Open3DP Laboratories to conduct some rather innovative medical research.  Their goal is to eventually provide the world with the ability to create individually customized heart pacemakers based on the specific dimensional measurements of each unique patient’s heart.

Right now, pacemakers are basically “one size fits all”, but this can sometimes lead to problems.  In some cases, the pouch or membrane that fits around the heart may be too tight or too loose, compromising the overall quality of patient care.  Researchers from the University of Washington want to resolve this problem once and for all. 

The first step was to use their 3D printing video to create a perfect 3-dimensional model of a rabbit’s heart.  This was then used to model a highly flexible sheath based on the rabbit’s unique specifications.  Finally, a custom designed membrane was fitted snugly around the heart, but not so tight that it would interfere with its beating rhythm.  A series of sensors and electrodes were modeled as well, consistently monitoring and regulating a steady heartbeat.  And all of this was first created in cyberspace before being printed in 3-dimensional form in the University of Washington’s Open3DP Lab.