Creation of Patient-Specific Silicone Cardiac Models with Applications in Pre-surgical Plans and Hands-on Training

Patient-specific models improve surgeon and fellow confidence when developing or learning surgical plans. Three-dimensional (3D) printers generate adequate detail for surgical preparation, but fail to replicate tissue haptic fidelity. A protocol is presented detailing the creation of patient-specific, silicone cardiac models, combining 3D printing precision with simulated silicone tissue.