3D Printed Human Hearts to Train Surgeons

Prosthetic hearts featuring lifelike internal detail could be used to train surgeons.

A researcher at Nottingham Trent University is using 3D-printing to create prosthetic human hearts with lifelike detail, to help train surgeons before they go into live theatre.

The prosthetic hearts feature lifelike internal detail and have the varying tactile qualities of real human hearts, according to Richard Arm, an MSc Smart Design postgraduate researcher at Nottingham Trent University’s School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment.

Using silicone gels, the different areas of hardness of the human heart – such as around the heart’s arteries and valves – are recreated using specific blends of the material.