Robotic ventricle advances understanding of heart disease

MIT engineers developed a robotic replica of the heart’s right ventricle that mimics the beating and blood-pumping action of live hearts. The robotic right ventricle (RRV) combines real heart tissue with synthetic, balloon-like artificial muscles. It allows scientists to control contractions and observe the function of natural valves and structures.

The right ventricle is one of the heart’s four chambers, but its anatomical complexity has made it difficult for clinicians to accurately observe and assess its function in patients with heart disease.

Researchers said the RRV serves as a platform to study right ventricle disorders and test cardiac devices, providing insights into conditions such as right ventricular dysfunction, pulmonary hypertension, and myocardial infarction.

They also said conventional tools often fail to capture the intricate mechanics and dynamics of the right ventricle, leading to potential misdiagnosis and inadequate treatment strategies.

MIT has also demonstrated the model's potential as a training tool for surgeons and cardiologists by implanting mechanical valves and ring-like medical devices to repair or replace malfunctioning valves. With plans to extend its performance and test implantable devices, the RRV represents a significant advancement in understanding and treating heart disease.

The RRV currently simulates realistic heart functions over a few months. The team is working to extend that performance and enable the model to run continuously for longer stretches. They are also working with designers of implantable devices to test their prototypes on the artificial ventricle and possibly speed their path to patients.

In the future, the researchers aim to pair the RRV with a similar artificial, functional model of the left ventricle, which the group is currently fine-tuning.

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