• Alberto M Leopaldi, Krzysztof Wrobel, Giovanni Speziali, Sjoerd van Tuijl, Agne Drasutiene, and W Randolph Chitwood.
• J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. 2018 Jan 1; 155 (1): 147-155.

ObjectivePreviously, cardiac surgeons and cardiologists learned to operate new clinical devices for the first time in the operating room or catheterization laboratory. We describe a biosimulator that recapitulates normal heart valve physiology with associated real-time hemodynamic performance.MethodsTo highlight the advantages of this simulation platform, transventricular extruded polytetrafluoroethylene artificial chordae were attached to repair flail or prolapsing mitral valve leaflets. Guidance for key repair steps was by 2-dimensional/3-dimensional echocardiography and simultaneous intracardiac videoscopy.ResultsMultiple surgeons have assessed the use of this biosimulator during artificial chordae implantations. This simulation platform recapitulates normal and pathologic mitral valve function with associated hemodynamic changes. Clinical situations were replicated in the simulator and echocardiography was used for navigation, followed by videoscopic confirmation.ConclusionsThis beating heart biosimulator reproduces prolapsing mitral leaflet pathology. It may be the ideal platform for surgeon and cardiologist training on many transcatheter and beating heart procedures.Copyright © 2017 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.

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