New device could help predict heart attacks before they happen

Using a 3-D printer, biomedical engineers have created a revolutionary device in terms of treatment and prediction of cardiac disorders.

The custom-fitted, implantable device has embedded sensors that relay precise measurements of temperatures, mechanical strain and pH - or, in cases of arrhythmia, they deliver a pulse of electricity.

The development team, led by Dr. Igor Efimov from the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis, has made a 3-D elastic membrane that mimics the outer layer of the wall of the heart, or the epicardium. It's made of a soft, flexible silicon material that can aid doctors with determining heart health, delivery of treatment or predict an impending heart attack before a patient exhibits any physical signs.

Currently, only 2-D technology exists that can't cover the full surface of the epicardium or maintain reliable contact for continual use without sutures or adhesives.

"Each heart is a different shape, and current devices are one-size-fits-all and don't at all conform to the geometry of a patient's heart," Efimov said in a news release. "With this application, we image the patient's heart through MRI or CT scan, then computationally extract the image to build a 3-D model that we can print on a 3-D printer. We then mold the shape of the membrane that will constitute the base of the device deployed on the surface of the heart."

This membrane is a breakthrough, especially in that it ultimately could be used to treat diseases of the ventricles in the lower chambers of the heart. It could also be inserted inside the heart to treat heart disorders like atrial fibrillation, which affects 3 million to 5 million patients in the United States.

"This is just the beginning," Efimov said. "Previous devices have shown huge promise and have saved millions of lives. Now we can take the next step and tackle some arrhythmia issues that we don't know how to treat."