3D printing has been used to create a wide variety of anatomical models and tools for procedural planning and training. Yet, the printing of permanent, soft endocardial implants remains challenging because of the need for haemocompatibility and durability of the printed materials. Here, we describe an approach for the rapid prototyping of patient-specific cardiovascular occluders via 3D printing and static moulding of inflatable silicone/polyurethane balloons derived from volume-rendered computed tomography scans. We demonstrate the use of the approach, which provides custom-made implants made of high-quality, durable and haemocompatible elastomeric materials, in the fabrication of devices for occlusion of the left atrial appendage—a structure known to be highly variable in geometry and the primary source of stroke for patients with atrial fibrillation. We describe the design workflow, fabrication and deployment of patient-specific left atrial appendage occluders and, as a proof-of-concept, show their efficacy using 3D-printed anatomical models, in vitro flow loops and an in vivo large animal model.

3D打印已用于创建各种解剖模型和工具，以进行程序规划和培训。然而，由于需要血液相容性和印刷材料的耐用性，永久性，柔软的心内膜植入物的印刷仍然具有挑战性。在这里，我们描述了一种通过3D打印和从充气渲染的计算机断层扫描扫描得出的可充气硅树脂/聚氨酯球囊的静态成型技术，对患者特定的心血管阻塞器进行快速原型制作的方法。我们演示了该方法的使用，该方法可提供由高质量，耐用且具有血液相容性的弹性体材料制成的定制植入物，在制造用于闭塞左心耳的装置时，这种结构在几何上是高度可变的，并且是房颤患者的主要卒中来源。我们描述了患者特定的左心耳封堵器的设计工作流程，制造和部署，并作为概念证明，使用3D打印的解剖模型，体外血流环和体内大型动物模型显示了它们的功效。