Case Study: Medtronic achieves biomechanically realistic synthetic myocardium with Stratasys J750 Digital Anatomy

Biomedical tests confirm the potential for 3D printing synthetic myocardium with the Stratasys J750 Digital Anatomy printer

Medtronic collaborated with Stratasys to address a growing need in structural heart interventions: patient-specific models that not only replicate geometry but also the biomechanical behavior of myocardium for device development, surgical training, and procedural planning. Medtronic acted as an independent third‑party evaluator of Stratasys’ J750 Digital Anatomy printer, software and Digital Anatomy material blends to determine whether 3D‑printed myocardium can mimic native tissue mechanics.

Stratasys printed a spectrum of Digital Anatomy myocardium blends (Myocardium 1–5, Agilus outer layers) on the J750 and compared mechanical performance to porcine myocardium. Results showed moduli from about 0.262 to 0.536 MPa, stiffness values that corresponded to most heart chambers at anatomically relevant thicknesses, similar failure modes to tissue, and far greater sample-to-sample consistency than porcine tissue—advantages for repeatable bench testing. Stratasys also noted areas for improvement (suturing and cutting toughness) but demonstrated measurable progress toward reliable, tissue‑mimicking cardiac models.

Medtronic