Effect of 3D-printed hearts used in left ventricular outflow tract obstruction: a multicenter study

Abstract

Abstract Objective The purpose of this research was to explore the application value of a three-dimensional (3D)-printed heart in surgery for left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction. Methods From August 2019 to October 2021, 46 patients with LVOT obstruction underwent surgical treatment at our institution. According to the treatment method, 22 and 24 patients were allocated to the experimental and control groups, respectively. In the experimental group, each patient’s 3D-printed heart model was used for simulated preoperative surgery, and then the Morrow operation was performed. In the control group, only the Morrow operation was performed, without simulated preoperative surgery using a 3D-printed heart model. The intraoperative and postoperative data of patients in the two groups were recorded, and the clinical data of patients were compared between the two groups. Results The operation time, cardiopulmonary bypass time, intraoperative blood loss, hospitalization time, LVOT pressure difference (LVP), postoperative interventricular septal thickness (IST), aortic regurgitation (AR), systolic anterior motion (SAM), and postoperative left ventricular flow velocity (LVFV) were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group (P 0.05). Conclusion A 3D-printed heart model for simulated surgery in vitro is conducive to formulating a more reasonable surgical plan and reducing the trauma and duration of surgery, thereby promoting the recovery and maintenance of the heart.

Keywords

• 3D printing
• Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction
• Cardiac surgery
• Cardiac imaging