Design of Prosthetic Heart Valve and Application of Additive Manufacturing

Heart valve prostheses are well known and can be classified in two major types or categories: biological and mechanical. Biological valves (i.e., Homografts and Heterografts) make use of animal tissue as the valving mechanism whereas mechanical valves make use of balls, disks, and other mechanical valving mechanism. Mechanical valves carry considerable risk and require lifelong medication. The design of these valves is usually done on a “one size fits all” basis, with only the diameter changing depending on the model being produced. The author seeks to present an application of additive manufacturing in the design process for mechanical valves. This is expected to provide patients with customized prostheses to match their physiology and reduce the risk associated with the implantation.