Abstract
3D printing technologies are emerging as a disruptive innovation for the treatment of patients in cardiac failure. The ability to create custom devices, at the point of care, will affect both the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac diseases. The introduction of bioinks containing cells and biomaterials and the development of new computer assisted design and computer assisted manufacturing systems have ushered in a new technology known as 3D bioprinting. Small scale 3D bioprinting has successfully created cardiac tissue microphysiological systems. 3D bioprinting provides an opportunity to evaluate the assembly of specific parts of the heart and most notably heart valves. With the continuous development of instrumentation and bioinks and a complete understanding of cardiac tissue development, it is proposed that 3D bioprinting may permit the assembly of a heart described as a total biofabricated heart.
Highlights
Heart failure is a major medical problem globally and most times requires a heart transplantation
There are currently more than 6.2 million patients in the US with heart failure, and heart failure accounted for 78 356 mortalities in 2016.1 There is a very large economic cost associated with heart failure, reported to be $30.7 billion in 2012.1 For the patients who do receive a heart transplant, the median survival rate of heart transplant patients between 2002 and 2009 has been reported to be 12.5 years.[2]
The definition of tissue engineering has been very elegantly presented in a recent publication:10,11 “Tissue engineering is a multidisciplinary field bringing together experts from engineering, life sciences and medicine, utilizing the building blocks of cells, biomaterials and bioreactors for the development of 3-dimensional artificial tissue and organs which can be used to augment, repair and/or replace damaged and/or diseased tissue.”
Summary
ABSTRACT 3D printing technologies are emerging as a disruptive innovation for the treatment of patients in cardiac failure. The ability to create custom devices, at the point of care, will affect both the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac diseases. The introduction of bioinks containing cells and biomaterials and the development of new computer assisted design and computer assisted manufacturing systems have ushered in a new technology known as 3D bioprinting. Small scale 3D bioprinting has successfully created cardiac tissue microphysiological systems. With the continuous development of instrumentation and bioinks and a complete understanding of cardiac tissue development, it is proposed that 3D bioprinting may permit the assembly of a heart described as a total biofabricated heart.
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