One Guy Designed His Own Heart Implant and Now 23 Folks Are Using It [Medicine]

It’s fantastic enough that a british engineer designed his own heart textile implant in 2004 when he realized it was better than an aortic valve replacement. But even cooler is that since then, 23 folks have had them implanted.

Using a rapid prototyper to hone in on his design, Tal Golesworthy ‘s custom implant was created to assist Diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, which causes the aorta to expand and rupture, and told he would wish a mecanical valve installed-a risky procedure which involves removing section of the aorta-Golesworthy decided to plot his own solution. Armed with an MRI, CAD and rapid prototyping technologies, Golesworthy created a really perfect 3D model of his Aorta (see photo). Then when the finished version came back from a lab, he worked with doctors to develop a polymer mesh compression sleeve that will fit over his aorta and stop it from rupturing. Not only was the procedure itself safer, but it surely also reduced blod clot complications afterward.

The entire process took two years from conception to finished product, and likewise to the 23 who have already had the procedure, seven more are due up. Golesworthy said this can eventually become a traditional procedure. [ The Engineer via Medgadget via Boing Boing ]

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This post is tagged: aortic valve replacement, british engineer, finished version, mesh compression, rapid prototyper, rapid prototyping technologies, risky procedure