Synthetic Blood Vessels are 3D printed

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death around the world. Coronary artery bypass surgery is a common procedure to prevent patients' conditions worsening, and traditionally requires the removal of an artery and reimplantation into the heart. Vascular grafts, though, could eventually lead to superior procedures that do not require the removal and reimplantation of an artery from another part of the body. Yuanyuan Liu led a team of researchers at Shanghai University's Rapid Manufacturing Engineering Center to look into a better way. They turned to a kind of 3D printing called micro-imprinting that leads to three-layer grafts. While human trials are some time away yet, 3D printing could enhance treatment possibilities for heart disease. Check out more details in the full magazine: http://3dprint.com/42129/3d-printed-bood-vessels/

Below is a photo of the micro-imprinting 3D printer used to print the middle layer of the grafts:
http://3dprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/mi-6.png