Women in Bolivia weave devices which can help repair holes in hearts

Ateam of Bolivian women are using indigenous Aymara weaving patterns to craft devices that can help repair heart defects, doctors involved in developing the device report in JAMA.

The device is woven from a nickel- titanium alloy that can be collapsed and delivered within a catheter to the heart, where it’s then expanded to repair a hole. Traditional Aymara weavers repeat an Andean cross or chakana symbol up to 120 times to craft the device, called Nit- Occlud ASD- R. “To my knowledge, it is the first time metal weaving is used for medical devices in Bolivia,” said lead study author Dr. Alexandra Heath of Kardiozentrum in La Paz, Bolivia in email to Reuters Health.

“It is surprising, that these women, after a training, can assume the task brilliantly,” said Heath, who has received consulting fees from the device manufacturer PFM Medical. A team of about 40 craftswomen who went through four months of training weave devices that meet specific requirements for quality control, sterilization and proper chemical treatment. The Nit- Occlud ASD- R has been approved to repair heart defects in adults and children by regulators in Canada, Europe, and South America. It is not approved in the US.

This hand- crafted device essentially copies existing devices which are made in developed countries by “weaving” machines, said Dr. John Moore.

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