Scientists have used a 3D printer to make an elastic membrane similar to the outer layer of the heart's wall.
The membrane, described Feb. 25 in the journal Nature Communications, has tiny sensors that track the heart's pH, level of strain and temperature. Researchers said the device could one day be used to treat the rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation as well as patients with rhythm disorders in the heart's lower chambers.
Heart rhythm irregularities affect a large number of people and atrial fibrillation affects three to five million people in the U.S. each year. If left untreated, rhythm irregularities can result in blood clots, which can lead to stroke.
Those with atrial fibrillation are often treated with blood thinners or other treatments that may erode the heart's pacemaker cells and replace them with electrodes. These techniques, however, have been fairly simplistic and don't provide a large amount of feedback on the heart's condition.
"Currently, medical devices to treat heart rhythm diseases are essentially based on two electrodes inserted through the veins and deployed inside the chambers," study co-author Igor Efimov, a biomedical engineer at Washington University in St. Louis, said in a statement.
To make the membrane, Effimov and his colleagues used medical imaging to scan a rabbit heart. They then used 3D printing to create a model for the heart. Afterward, they created a thin silicon sheath embedded with small sensors that fit over the heart's exterior. The researchers tested the electrical and mechanical properties of the heart "jacket" as it contracted with the rabbit heart.
The researchers said the heart sleeve could one day be used to test for heart disease and track the health of other organs like the kidneys. The sensors could also one day measure an enzyme called troponin, a common marker of heart attacks, meaning that doctors could detect heart troubles earlier than current tests can.
"Because this is implantable, it will allow physicians to monitor vital functions in different organs and intervene when necessary to provide therapy," Efimov said. "In the case of heart rhythm disorders, it could be used to stimulate cardiac muscle or the brain, or in [kidney] disorders, it would monitor ionic concentrations of calcium, potassium and sodium."
You won't be able to use this device for your heart just yet. The technology is currently designed for use in the lab to monitor heart rate changes in response to different conditions.
