4D MRI techniques could help advance the development of artificial hearts
New research suggests that 4D MRI has the potential to improve the process of testing artificial hearts to ensure they mimic natural blood flow, thus reducing the risk of adverse events.
Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden recently used advanced 4D flow MRI to track blood movement in a pulsating artificial heart, revealing dynamics that closely mirror those of a healthy human organ. They published their findings in Scientific Reports, highlighting the potential role of MRI in the development of safe medical devices.
“The heart is a muscle that never rests. It can beat for a hundred years without being serviced or stopping once. But constructing a pump that can function in the same way—that’s a challenge,” Tino Ebbers, a professor of physiology at Linköping University, said in a news release on the team’s work.
The demand for transplants outnumbers the amount of donor availability. This has made the medical community more open to using artificial hearts to bridge the gap between patients in need of transplants and the supply of viable organ donations. Though promising, there has to be a reliable way to test artificial hearts to ensure they perform as needed.
“Finding a biologically compatible heart for a transplant can take a long time. In those cases, an artificial heart can enable the patient to wait at home. They may not be running around like Usain Bolt, but patients can be with their loved ones during the waiting period,” Twan Bakker, a PhD student at the Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization at the university, added.
To address this, researchers deployed time-resolved, 3D phase contrast MRI, also known as 4D flow MRI, to visualize blood velocity fields inside the artificial heart under realistic physiologic conditions. The technique enables providers to view complex flow structures, including regions of high shear stress and areas of stagnation, in real-time.
The team compared imaging data from the artificial heart scans against reference ones of human cardiac flow patterns. The results suggested the artificial heart produced a flow profile similar to that of a healthy left ventricle. It also demonstrated fewer zones of extreme velocity gradients or stasis—factors known to influence clot formation and red blood cell destruction in current-generation artificial hearts.
These findings not only validate the device’s performance but also emphasize MRI’s role as a valuable tool for assessing the clinical viability of critical medical devices, the team suggested. The artificial heart used for the study has already received Humanitarian Use Device designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which could accelerate its road to regulatory approval. Though the device needs to be validated in clinical trials, its developers are optimistic it could reach clinical implementation soon.
“Our dream is to develop an artificial heart as a permanent solution. We’re not there yet, as we must first show its value as a bridge to transplantation. But our ultimate goal is fantastic—an end to the need for donor hearts,” Bakker said.
Read more about the findings here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.