Ever visualised a silicone heart that beats just like a human one? Scientists have made it happen by manufacturing one using a 3D printer, weighing 390 grams.
The silicone version has been developed by Nicholas Cohrs, a doctoral student in the group led by Wendelin Stark, Professor of Functional Materials Engineering at ETH Zurich. In the video (above), a demonstration shows the soft artificial model pumping fluid eerily like the real thing.
There is one major flaw right now, though. It currently only lasts for around 3,000 beats, which corresponds to a lifetime of roughly half an hour. The material can’t bear the strain after that.
“This was simply a feasibility test. Our goal was not to present a heart ready for implantation, but to think about a new direction for the development of artificial hearts,” Cohrs explained. The strength of the material and its performance would need to be worked on significantly for it to work in a real life setting.
At present, blood pumps are commonly used for patients but there are several disadvantages to it, such as their mechanical parts leading to complications.
“Therefore, our goal is to develop an artificial heart that is roughly the same size as the patient’s own one and which imitates the human heart as closely as possible in form and function,” said Cohrs.
A well-functioning artificial heart could help millions of people around the world who suffer from heart failure and have to deal with a serious shortage of donor hearts. Presently, artificial blood pumps keep them going until a donor heart is received or their own hearts recover.
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