Live Case at PICS-CSI Asia: Fuwai Hospital Cardiologist Uses 3D-Printed TAVI Model

Fuwai Hospital in Beijing is China’s largest hospital devoted exclusively to the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Amongst other facilities, the hospital houses 962 beds, 19 OR’s, 11 cath labs and 2 hybrid-operation rooms. Besides, the institution is becoming the top 3D Printing center nationwide for complex cardiovascular applications. This year, Fuwai hospital will perform live cases for PICS-CSI Asia, the leading conference about congenital, structural and valvar interventions. In order to prepare for a complex Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) case, Dr. Yongjian Wu, Interventional Cardiologist and Head of Cardiology at Fuwai, relied on the expertise of Materialise and validated the process.

Creating a replica of the patient’s anatomy

An 82-year-old male was suffering from a calcified aortic valve. Due to the failure of the valve, the patient was short of breath and couldn’t do anything requiring physical effort. Considering the age of the patient and the increased risk involved in an open-heart surgery, the clinical team at Fuwai Hospital decided to perform a TAVI procedure.

Dr. Wu and a Materialise clinical engineer had an initial meeting to discuss the patient’s pathology and printing specifications. After receiving the CT images, the engineer checked the quality of the data and then segmented the anatomy. The educational model was printed at Materialise in HeartPrint Flex, a proprietary material by Materialise that mimics the distensibility of the heart tissue, with colored rigid calcifications.

Live case: The added value of an aorta model

The 3D-printed educational model of the aorta will help Dr. Wu and his team understand the patient’s anatomy and to think about possible interventional approaches. This intervention will be live streamed from the cath lab to the PICS-CSI Asia conference venue in Dubai. To gain a better understanding of the case, a copy of the 3D-printed model will also be available for the audience. The live case will be presented March 5 in the afternoon session.

Disclaimer: Only 3D-printed anatomical models created with Materialise Mimics inPrint in conjunction with compatible 3D printers are cleared for diagnostic use.