Qatna Medical develops heart implant: Protection against strokes

Additive Manufacturing 3D Printing Realizes Dense Atrial Appendage

2025-11-26 From 1zu1 | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

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The Swabian (Germany) company Qatna Medical has developed an implant made of biological tissue for the closure of the left atrial appendage. It is intended to protect against strokes. The components for the delivery system were manufactured by 1zu1 using 3D printing.

1zu1 has manufactured six 3D-printed components for the handle of Qatna Medical's innovative closure implant.(Image: 1zu1) — 1zu1 has manufactured six 3D-printed components for the handle of Qatna Medical's innovative closure implant.
(Image: 1zu1)

The vision of Qatna Medical is that affected patients will only need to take low doses of heart medication after the minimally invasive procedure, thereby gaining quality of life. The Swabian company developed an implant made of biological tissue for the closure of the left atrial appendage. It is designed to protect people with atrial fibrillation from strokes. The clinical trial is set to begin soon. After successful completion of the studies, the treatment method is expected to become available on the market. This is made possible in part by precise and sterile plastic components from 1zu1. The Vorarlberg company has produced components for the implant delivery system using 3D printing.

With such a complex geometry featuring internal threads, undercuts, and significant wall thickness differences, injection molding tools would have become very expensive, and assembly complicated. 3D printing offers complete freedom in design and functionality.

Felix Schneider

The compact handle is composed of 3D-printed components. Six chemically smoothed and partially printed parts fit together perfectly, are sealed, and are easy to clean. "With such a complex geometry featuring internal threads, undercuts, and significant variations in wall thickness, injection molding tools would have become very expensive, and assembly would have been complicated. 3D printing offers complete freedom in design and functionality," says Felix Schneider, development engineer at Qatna Medical.

3D Printing is Ready for Series Production in Sensitive Medical Technology

Despite all its advantages, 3D printing is not yet established as a serial production process in medical technology. "Usually, a lack of experience leads to reservations. Many associate 3D printing with fragile prototypes or granular, rough surfaces. We prove the opposite with stable, smooth, sterilizable, and highly precise components made from biocompatible polyamide," emphasizes Stefan Rädler, Head of Additive Manufacturing at 1zu1.

With the highest quality standards, the high-tech company positions itself as a reliable partner for European medical technology companies. This also convinced Qatna Medical, as Felix Schneider reports, "Even the prototype parts were so precise, stable, and visually appealing that internal concerns quickly dissipated." Qatna Medical is currently verifying and validating the final design. Around 2,000 units are needed for the extensive tests. 1zu1 delivers large quantities in serial quality using the SLS system P500 from EOS. Since the summer, 1zu1 has also been certified according to EN ISO 13485—further accelerating the approval process.

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Date: 08.12.2025

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