Utility of 3D Printed Cardiac Models for Medical Student Education of Congenital Heart Disease Across a Spectrum of Disease Severity

Abstract

Purpose: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the most common congenital anomalies. Understanding cardiac anatomy and physiology is vital to understanding the pathophysiology of disease, and CHD education relies heavily on 2-dimensional imaging for this purpose. Three dimensional (3D) printing technology allows for the creation of physical cardiac models that can be used for teaching trainees. We studied the effect of using 3D printed cardiac models in medical student education across a range of CHD severity. Methods: Representative 3D imaging datasets from CT scans were chosen for lesions across the spectrum of disease severity. The CHD lesions included: atrial septal defect (ASD), tetralogy of …