OptiFlow 3D

Hemocompatible 3D-printed blood pump for children with heart failure—precise, gentle and designed for small patients.
Micro- and Nano-StructuringSustainability
Duration:
01.04.2022 - 31.03.2025
Projectvolumn:
€5.495.530
Financial support:
Future Production, PDZ - 2021

Project description

Heart failure is one of the leading causes of death in Western industrialized nations and poses enormous challenges for cardiology and cardiac surgery. The number of affected patients is steadily increasing, while suitable donor hearts are extremely scarce. Mechanical circulatory support systems (MCS), such as left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), have therefore become established as a life-prolonging therapy and improve the quality of life for many heart patients. These rotodynamic blood pumps relieve the weakened left ventricle by pumping blood from the ventricle into the aorta in a controlled manner, thus significantly reducing the heart’s workload.

Despite these successes, current LVAD systems are associated with considerable risks. Hemocompatibility problems frequently lead to bleeding, thrombosis, and strokes, significantly worsening the long-term prognosis. Current registry data show that only about 20% of patients remain free of serious complications in the first year after implantation. The situation is particularly critical for children and patients with small stature: For this growing group, there is currently no clinically approved, long-term LVAD technology. This is precisely where OPTIFLOW 3D comes in, developing a new generation of miniaturized, hemocompatible blood pumps for safe, long-term circulatory support.

Project Goals and Technological Innovation

OPTIFLOW 3D closes this gap in care by developing a novel, two-stage, and miniaturized rotodynamic blood pump specifically designed for the anatomy of children and patients with small stature. The goal is highly efficient circulatory support that improves survival rates and quality of life while significantly reducing the risk of life-threatening complications.

The technical basis consists of high-performance ceramics with excellent biocompatibility and wear resistance, combined with state-of-the-art 3D printing (additive manufacturing). Precise shape and surface control enables complex flow geometries and the compensation of shrinkage during sintering. Targeted microstructuring of the pump surfaces using 3D-NIL and two-photon polymerization printing (2PP) optimizes flow conditions, improves hydrodynamics, and minimizes blood trauma and thrombogenicity.

Improved circulatory support: Benefits for heart patients and the healthcare system

OPTIFLOW 3D enables a miniaturized, hemocompatible blood pump that provides long-term circulatory support even for small children and people with delicate anatomies. For physicians and hospitals, lower complication rates mean fewer revision surgeries, shorter hospital stays, and better outcomes. The combination of ceramic 3D printing, microstructuring, and algorithmic process control sets new production standards for cardiovascular implants. OPTIFLOW 3D thus strengthens European medical technology and creates export opportunities in the growing market for MCS systems.

Publications

Press articles

Scientific journals

Conference papers

Portrait Michael Muehlberger

Contact person

Dr. Michael Mühlberger
Senior Scientist
+43 7252 885 253
michael.muehlberger@profactor.at