AMVAD

Heart failure or cardiac insufficiency is the most frequent cause of hospitalisation. In a severe course of heart failure, the heart is no longer able to supply the body with sufficient nutrients. The implantation of a heart support system can become a life-saving therapy in this case. An artificial pump is connected directly to the patient‘s heart via cannulas. Special anatomical conditions also pose special challenges for the geometry of the cannulas. Additive manufacturing technologies can open up pioneering approaches to solving these problems. 

The aim of the project is to develop a process that enables the use of Additive Manufacturing for the production of high-risk medical devices. This is to be elaborated and demonstrated using the example of a cannula with patient-specific geometry. In addition, the design and documentation of the development process is to be realised in order to enable a later, possible approval for individual medical devices.