How 3D Printing is Transforming Healthcare
Summer is here and I was looking forward to my weekend with Ted.. He had fallen sick last week and was still recovering from the Flu. Instead of our usual football sessions, this week we planned to take a walk at the park nearby. The sun had almost set and temperature had lowered making it perfect for our stroll. Ted was telling me about his friend Mila who had fractured her arm while playing. Apparently, they had put a white colour cement like cast around her arm to fix it and Mila hated it. She said that it was always itchy and and made her very uncomfortable.
I was feeling bad for the poor girl. I can imagine the irritation and discomfort the casts made of plaster can cause. I had one myself when I was in College. I was telling Ted about how there is a new cool thing in the market, a replacement for plaster casts. He got so excited when I showed him some of the pictures of the castings. He said it looked like something that superheroes wear!
The cast in the picture above is printed with custom dimensions. Although the plaster-based casts are effective in healing broken bones, they possess several limitations. Aside from the fact that these casts are unpleasant to look at and are extremely uncomfortable to wear, other limitations exist :
- The limb is unreachable during treatment, causing the skin under the cast to become dry and uncomfortable. Since the limb is covered by the cast, the area under the plaster cannot be cleaned and can sometimes result in an infection or rash.
- The plaster casts can be of considerable weight, which may result in restricted or uncomfortable movement.
- Plaster casts are also not waterproof and will break down if wet, interrupting the healing process.
3D printed casts are able to address the above-mentioned limitations while providing additional benefits based on the designs.
There have been some major breakthroughs in Healthcare. I have highlighted some of the cases that caught my attention and will also give an idea of the impact 3D Printing has been creating in Healthcare.
3D Printing has made its mark in manufacturing and is making its presence evident in all the other fields too. The industry is relatively well aware now of the concept than it was five years ago. It is being adapted and applied extensively. Today I am talking about how 3D Printing has revolutionized Healthcare. This technology has made the impossible possible. I mean who would have thought of a 3D Printed heart. Don’t mistaken a 3D Printed heart for an object. I’m talking about a heart 3D Printed from stem cells of a human being. Don’t gawk at me, Yes! This is Happening!
Scientists in Israel unveiled a 3D print of a heart with human tissue and vessels, calling it a first and a “major medical breakthrough” that advances possibilities for transplants.
While it remains a far way off, scientists hope one day to be able to produce hearts suitable for transplant into humans as well as patches to regenerate defective hearts. Changing the world as we know it…
A case that caught my eye while I was exploring medical applications was that of Garrett Peterson, who was born in 2012 with a defective windpipe. It would periodically just collapse, because the cartilage was so soft, and he’d stop breathing. This would happen every day — sometimes multiple times a day.
“He could go from being totally fine to turning blue sometimes — not even kidding — in 30 seconds,” says Garrett’s mother, Natalie Peterson, 25, of Layton, Utah. “It was so fast. It was really scary.”
Scott Hollister, a biomedical engineer at the University of Michigan, and Dr. Glenn Green, a specialist in pediatric otolaryngology, teamed up on Garrett’s case. First they took a CT scan of Garrett’s windpipe so they could make a 3D replica of it. Next they used the 3D printer to design and build a “splint.” It’s a small, white flexible tube tailored to fit around the weakest parts of Garrett’s windpipe.
After more than eight hours of surgery, both splints fit perfectly and were securely in place in garrett’s windpipe which started to show signs of breathing. Garrett’s splint is designed to expand as he grows and eventually dissolve in his body as his own windpipe gets strong enough to work normally.
Nothing short of a miracle I’d say!
I attended a conference last year where I met a maxillofacial surgeon. He explained to me how 3D Printing helped them in Orbital Floor Construction.. and made them more efficient and improved their success rates.
Rapid prototyping is an emerging technology and is gaining popularity among oral and maxillofacial surgeons as a cost effective method of producing accurate 3D anatomical models. For orbital reconstruction, this process allows for precise adaptation of the titanium plate with respect to important landmarks (e.g., posterior ledge, ethmoidal bulge), which are often difficult to determine intraoperatively. Traditionally, intraoperative trimming of the plate can lead to multiple “try-ins” that can traumatize delicate soft tissue with poor adaptation and positioning, often necessitating revision procedures. Placement of an orbital titanium plate without further adaptation reduces operating time, risk of soft tissue trauma, and allows precise plate positioning and restoration of orbital volume. In the cases above, titanium orbital plates were placed almost immediately with minimal or no further manipulation and no revision surgery was necessary after evaluating implant position with CT.
Interesting, isn’t it?
There is more…
A 3D Printed Walker to Assist People With Mobility Restrictions!
3D printing has successfully been used in the design of customized prosthetic aids for people with disabilities. Now Eliza Wrobel, a biomedical engineer, has employed additive manufacturing methods to enhance the usefulness of the walker for sufferers of limb disabilities who wish to remain active.
Just like many standard walkers, Eliza Wrobel’s walker prototype features arm supports, hand-activated breaks, a cup holder and a foot rest. There is also a shopping cart with switch-out and baby seat extras-potentially giving users additional independence by ensuring disabled persons are able to perform daily tasks and even get the chance to take a baby relative for a walk. On the other hand, it maintains the primary functions of a walker such as an adjustable height.
It is still unclear whether the prototype will attain full size and go into production, but the ZMorph company states that it demonstrates the important role played by 3D printing during the production development process.
ZMorph is also making a 3D Printed Rehabilitation Orthosis for the disabled.
3D Printing, also known as Additive Manufacturing..A promising approach to deliver high-quality and economically efficient healthcare is personalized care that tailors to specific characteristics and needs of patients. Additive Manufacturing is a concept fairly broad, which ranges from providing long term care tailored to the wants and needs of elderly to the use of a patient’s biological data to determine the best course of therapy. AM technology is well suited to produce customized products that meet individual needs and hence can play a significant role in personalized healthcare. Specifically, it has been used to produce customized surgical implants and assistive devices for improved health and wellbeing of the general population. The applications of AM in Medical field is no longer a test run. A whole new market has been created and is thriving.
Have a look at the Graph below which shows the medical sector’s contribution to AM market :
The bar graph shows the growth in market revenue in the Healthcare sector. As you can see, there is a steady growth over the years and is expected to continue going by the proficiency and cost effectiveness of 3D Printing.
What are AMs key drivers for greater and deeper technology adoption in Healthcare?
- Per hour cost of Medical Specialists is rising every year
- Every minute saved in Operation Theatre is a gain for hospitals and patients both in terms of monetary and success rate
- Patients are now more focused on what procedures and why is it important. (Thanks to 3D cost effective models helping).
3D Printing can improve patient care, reduce costs and save time at every step in the Medical Value Chain.
I can totally see 3D Printing transforming Healthcare in the near future.
Now if you are wondering, I did not tell all of this to Ted. This information was for you. He was just happy knowing that he had found something that could help Mila. And we rushed back home so he could share it with her!
I hope I was able to share something that blew your mind today and give you an insight to how 3D Printing is changing people’s lives.
We hope you like our series — Adventures with Ted.
Let us know in the comment section if you have stories and cases you’d like to share with us. We are always hungry for more..
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See you next weekend!
