Benchtop Mitral Valve Replacement Training Model

Project Summary

The mitral valve is an atrioventricular valve in the heart that stops blood from flowing the wrong way through the heart. The Tendyne mitral valve replacement procedure is an innovative technology that allows patients who need a mitral valve replacement but cannot be surgically operated on, to receive the treatment they need. Abbott’s benchtop training model is used in the training procedure to teach physicians and doctors how to insert the Tendyne mitral valve into a patient. The purpose for improving the current training model is to ensure that the physicians and doctors have a clinically relevant model to practice on. It is critical that the physicians and doctors have a model that resembles the real-life scenario of a beating heart to best simulate replacing the mitral valve in open heart surgery.

Design Goal

Our goal was to create a more realistic model to improve the training experience for physicians who will be implanting the Tendyne mitral valve. We aimed to do this
by creating elements of the heart anatomy out of a rubber silicone called Dragon Skin 30, implementing a motor that mimics a heartbeat, and incorporating cameras to mimic
ultrasound images.

Design Constraints

• Smooth and quiet heartbeat simulation
• Adjustable heartbeat rate 
• Realistic heart & tissue feeling 
• Different heart angles 
• Easy to manufacture and assemble 
• High durability
• Long battery life 
• Low cost 
• Portable and easy to transport 
• Easy to operate