Baby girl thriving after Birmingham Children's Hospital surgeons used a 3D-printed model of her heart

A baby girl born with a serious heart condition is thriving after life-saving open heart surgery at Birmingham Children's Hospital, where surgeons prepared for the operation using a 3D-printed model of her tiny heart made just down the road at Aston University.

Thirteen-month-old Penny has Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart condition that affects about five in every 10,000 babies, BBC News reported on 11 November. On the outside she looked healthy, but without surgery she could have become gravely ill.

A heart you can hold

Using CT scans, biomedical engineers at Aston University's Engineering for Health Research Centre worked closely with doctors to recreate the four defects in Penny's heart. Two replicas were made: one the actual size of her heart, used to show her parents what surgeons were dealing with, and a larger, more detailed model for the medical team.

Dr Tristan Ramcharan, a consultant paediatric cardiologist, said: "Having the replica means that we can see exactly what a heart condition looks like."

"Before we go into theatre, we can have a look and see where a hole is, we can see where the narrowing is and, in select and more complicated cases, we can use that to understand exactly where our patches have to go and where we have to cut," he said. "It then makes the actual operation easier, more straightforward and potentially less complicated."

Antonio Fratini, from Aston University, explained that surgeons can ask for exactly what they need. "Sometimes they also ask us to make cuts in the model so they can open it up and see inside," he said.

"She was Penny again"

For Penny's parents, Brad and Lizzie, from Broome in Worcestershire, the wait was agonising. Brad admitted he "just crumbled" when they handed her over for the anaesthetic. Five and a half hours later, the news came: the operation had been a success.

"All of a sudden she had a twinkle in her eye," said Brad. "The anaesthetic was getting out of her system and she was back. She was Penny again."

She needed support in intensive care at first, including an external pacemaker, and her parents were finally able to hold her six days later. Penny will have further checks with a heart monitor in the coming weeks and annual check-ups for the rest of her life, but her outlook is now bright.

"We're delighted that Penny is recovering so well following her surgery," said Dr Ramcharan. "Penny and her family have shown incredible bravery throughout, and it's wonderful to see them able to look forward to the future."

A Birmingham partnership

The 3D heart project is run by the cardiology team at Birmingham Children's Hospital together with Aston University, and is funded by the hospital's charity. The team has now produced 3D-printed models of a number of infants' hearts, helping both parents and doctors understand complex conditions.

It is a powerful example of what happens when the city's hospitals and universities work side by side, and of how donations to the children's hospital charity turn directly into better care for the families who need it most.