Manufacturing an artificial arterial tree using 3D printing

Models of the arterial network are useful in studying mechanical cardiac assist devices as well as complex pathological states that are difficult to investigate in-vivo otherwise. Earlier work of artificial arterial tree (AAT) have been constructed to include some of the major arteries and their branches for in-vitro experiments which focused on the aorta, using dipping or painting techniques, which resulted in inaccuracies and inconsistent wall thickness. Therefore, the aim of this work is to use 3D printing for manufacturing AAT based on physiologically correct dimensions of the largest 45 segments of the human arterial tree. A volume ratio mix of silicone rubber (98 %) and a catalyst (2 %) was used to create the walls of the AAT. To validate, the AAT was connected at its inlet to a piston pump that mimicked the heart and capillary tubes at the outlets that mimicked arterial resistances. The capillary tubes were connected to a reservoir that collected the water which was the fluid used in testing the closed-loop hydraulic system. Young's modulus of the AAT walls was determined using tensile testing of different segments of various wall thickness. The developed AAT produced pressure, diameter and flow rate waveforms that are similar to those observed in-vivo. The technique described here is low cost, may be used for producing arterial trees to facilitate testing mechanical cardiac assist devices and studying hemodynamic investigations.