The usefulness of 3D printed heart models for medical student education in congenital heart disease.

Background: Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology enables the translation of 2-dimensional (2D) medical imaging into a physical replica of a patient's individual anatomy and may enhance the understanding of congenital heart defects (CHD). We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of a spectrum of 3D-printed models in teaching CHD to medical students.

Results: We performed a prospective, randomized educational procedure to teach fifth year medical students four CHDs (atrial septal defect (ASD, n = 74), ventricular septal defect (VSD, n = 50), coarctation of aorta (CoA, n = 118) and tetralogy of Fallot (ToF, n = 105)).

Who are patients classified within the new terminology of heart failure from the 2016 ESC guidelines?

Aims: The main terminology used to describe heart failure (HF) is based on measurement of the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). LVEF in the range of 40-49% was recently defined as HF with mid-range EF (HFmrEF) by the 2016 European Society of Cardiology guidelines. The purpose of our study was to assess the clinical profile and prognosis of patients with HF according to this new classification.