The Illinois and Michigan health network OSF HealthCare and the National Institutes of Health 3D Print Exchange have partnered with the American Heart Association to launch an online medical journal.
At present, the NIH 3D Print Exchange operates the 3D Heart Library, an open-source online medical journal that collects models of hearts that are submitted by clinicians, which are later reviewed by heart experts. With this partnership, the organizations plan to develop accuracy and quality standards for the library. The final goal is for the 3D Heart Library to become a AHA-backed database.
"There are many physicians utilizing 3-D modeling for the treatment of congenital heart disease, but there aren't any best practices for utilizing the technology," said Matthew Bramlet, MD, director of the jump advanced imaging and modeling program at OSF HealthCare. "Establishing a peer-review process will drive standardization and increase the quality of 3D digital models around the world."