Ulster University and Axial Medical Printing Limited KTP 24_25 R4

A surgeon planning a complex heart valve repair will soon be able to rehearse the entire procedure on a 3D digital model of the patient’s own anatomy before making the first incision. This project aims to replace the current standard—where surgeons mentally reconstruct 2D scans into 3D space—with a software tool that generates precise, interactive anatomical models from routine medical imaging. The problem is that structural heart disease, such as a leaking mitral valve or a narrowed aortic valve, often requires highly individualised surgical approaches. A one-size-fits-all plan risks complications, longer operating times, and poorer outcomes. The software will be designed around the user experience of the surgical team, not just the engineering of the model. If successful, the product could reduce the time spent in the operating theatre, lower the rate of re-operation, and allow more patients with complex heart disease to be offered surgery rather than being deemed too high-risk. The impact is on a quiet but critical part of healthcare infrastructure: the planning phase that determines whether a procedure succeeds or fails before the patient is even anaesthetised.