SoylentNews

Membrane Can Keep Your Heart Beating Perfectly

posted by janrinok on Monday March 03 2014, @05:30PM   
from the who-wants-to-live-forever? dept.

AnonTechie writes:

"Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Washington University in St. Louis have developed a new device that may one day help prevent heart attacks. Unlike existing pacemakers and implantable defibrillators that are one-size-fits-all, the new device is a thin, elastic membrane designed to stretch over the heart like a custom-made glove and may arrive to human hearts in 10 to 15 years.

They custom made it to precisely fit the shape of the rabbit's heart: First, while the rabbit was still alive, they scanned it and created a 3D model using computer aided tomography. They manufactured the model in a 3D printer, which they used as a mold to create the membrane. After that they took the heart out, applied the membrane, and kept it beating at a perfect pace.

The full article can be found here"

• Re:Limited usefulness Re:Limited usefulness (Score: 2, Interesting) by The Grim Reefer on Monday March 03 2014, @07:40PM

  by The Grim Reefer (1451) on Monday March 03 2014, @07:40PM (#10178)

  Possibly. But this may be a good stop gap measure for when you go into the emergency room. Presumably a new heart would need to be grown from your own cells to reduce complications with rejection. That will take some time.

  Parent

  Starting Score:	1		point
  Moderation		+1
  Interesting=1, Total=1
  Extra 'Interesting' Modifier		0
  Total Score:		2

• Re:Limited usefulness (Score: 1) by Rivenaleem on Tuesday March 04 2014, @10:24PM

  by Rivenaleem (3400) on Tuesday March 04 2014, @10:24PM (#11020)

  Okay, add 3D printing to my list above. Have they not already started 3D printing organs?

  Parent