UWEC CERCA 2025

In patients with atrial fibrillation, many stroke-causing clots originate in the left atrial appendage. The WATCHMAN Procedure takes a minimally invasive approach by threading a catheter through the left femoral vein and deploying the WATCHMAN device into the left atrial appendage to decrease risk of atrial fibrillation-related strokes. Currently, no tailored surgical models exist for this procedure. This means surgeons who are learning the procedure must perform on patients instead of practice models. This project aims to fill that gap and create an interactive leg and torso model for surgical practice of the WATCHMAN device insertion procedure. Using software within the Materialise Suite, student researchers can convert 2D DICOM files into 3D stereolithography files (3D). These 3D files can be read by the 3D printer software, producing a physical model of the original 2D images. The patient’s leg is printed in a flexible material in the same manner utilizing SolidWorks. Models of customizable patient heart and femoral vein anatomy will be printed in a flexible material for surgical practice. A Raspberry Pi computer and 4 small cameras mimic the fluoroscopy used during surgery, allowing surgeons to practice the surgery with views of the heart that they would use in an actual procedure. Surgical outcomes utilizing the educational model will be compared with previous outcomes for surgeons of various education and experience levels. This project will reveal if customizable practice models are significantly beneficial to surgical practice by observing patient outcomes.