Case Study: Nicklaus Children’s Hospital achieves faster, safer pediatric heart surgeries with Stratasys 3D-printed models

Shaping Young Hearts Stratasys Helps a Surgeon Save More Kids

Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, led by Dr. Redmond Burke in pediatric cardiovascular surgery, faced highly complex, one‑of‑a‑kind congenital heart defects that standard imaging couldn’t fully convey—cases like Mia’s double aortic arch and Adenelie’s lethal venous malformation. To gain a tactile, patient‑specific view of anatomy, the hospital turned to Stratasys and its 3D printing solutions, including the Connex3 3D Printer, to produce life‑like cardiac models.

Using Stratasys‑printed models created directly from CT scans and tuned for heart‑like flexibility (Shore A ~60), the surgical team rehearsed procedures, planned exact repairs, and communicated more clearly with families. Stratasys models reduced operating‑room time by two hours in Mia’s case, enabled smaller incisions and more confident approaches, and helped Dr. Burke design and execute a repair for Adenelie that likely would not have been possible without the 3D replica.

Nicklaus Children’s Hospital

Redmond Burke

Director of Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery