3D Printing in Healthcare

When you think of 3D printing, you probably imagine something futuristic. It might be interesting to know that 3D printing can be traced back all the way to the early 1980s. Even though when we think of 3D printing, we think of modern technology, the under lying technology that we know today as 3D printing has been in development for over 3 decades.  

 

The term "3D printing technology," also known as "additive manufacturing" (AM), refers to techniques used to produce 3D objects in which material is created in layers under computer control to produce a real-world object. For more information about the history of 3D Printing, feel free to view the video that we have put together below:

More schools are using 3D printers in the classroom in recent years. This is due to the cost of this technology becoming cheaper and cheaper. The versatility of 3D printers makes them ideal for usage in educational settings. You may build functioning prototypes, historical models, demonstration models, project pieces, and much more with 3D printing. Also, in recent years, due to the commercialization of 3D printing, its essence has become more prevalent in the field of health services.

 

The first 3D printed kidney was created in the year 2000, but it would take another 13 years for it to be implanted into a patient. Today, we can see 3D printing as a major advancement in all fields throughout healthcare. From research and development to clinical, we are going to explore some of the ways that 3D printing is helping the field of medicine.  

 

Affordable Prosthetics

One of the most successful innovations of 3D printing in the field of healthcare, is the process of creating prosthetics. Children often outgrow their prosthetic quickly, within a few years, and the average lifespan for an adult prosthetic is only 5 years. These can cost thousands of dollars in the United States and are often paid out of pocket then covered by insurance. 3D printing prosthetics are changing the face of medicine, as physicians can work with engineers to develop fully customized limbs for the patient. The cost is reduced by hundreds if not thousands of dollars, and they are able to be produced faster. This has helped people not only in developed countries, but also third world countries where war has left many people with missing limbs. Machines can be taken or given to countries in an aid effort, where they might not have access to this type of equipment normally, and train doctors and engineers there.

(An example of a 3D printed prosthetic)

Bioprinting

Bioprinting is a process like 3D printing to create organs and tissues. This can include bones, blood vessels, ears/noses, and synthetic skin and organs. Bioprinting uses cells and biomaterials, to create organ-like structures that let living cells multiply. It is a relatively recent technology, but the potential in the medical field is enormous. One example of bioprinting comes from the University of Alberta and Misericordia Community Hospital in Edmonton. Canadian scientists have used bioprinting to help skin cancer patients by mixing real human nose cartilage cells with a soft hydrogel. Although it has not been implanted onto a person yet, hopefully they will be able to soon. Another form of bioprinting that can help patients around the world, is synthetic skin. In 2017, US and Madrid researchers developed a protype of a 3D printer that can create synthetic skin. This can be a significant step forward for burn victims. It can also be used in research and testing of cosmetic and chemical products. This could also save the lives of many animals, that were used in the past when testing these types of products.

 

Surgical Instruments / Medical Devices

For medical device manufacturers, 3D printing in-house allows for quick and easy prototyping. For end user facilities, such as hospitals or clinics, 3D printing can help fill gaps where the supply chain is limited, by 3D printing the tools they need, when they need them. During Covid-19, many hospitals around the world were faced with a shortage of nasal swabs. Since they were needed to determine if a patient was infected, they were in high demand to say the least. A 3D printed porotype was created by Form labs, and the files were made available to health networks worldwide. Along with the file, Form labs developed a detailed workflow with guidelines for healthcare professionals worldwide to print the swabs and ensure health and safety guidelines were followed. This file was downloaded in over 25 countries and allowed for over 70 million swabs to be taken on patients worldwide. This is just one of many examples of how 3D printing can help medical facilities around the world when supply chain issues arise.

(Examples of medical tools that were 3D Printed)

Medical Student Learning Instruments

3D printing is emerging as a technology that is widely used in medical education. Students can conduct relevant training and research on realistic models that are customized for any scenario. With cadavers, this could only be done for so long before the body starts to decompose, or they have already practiced the medical surgery and it can no longer be done in a way that would be suitable for real training. Animals were also used as training before, but they are not suited for more advanced surgery training as this should be done on something as close to a real body as possible. Using the traditional methods can be costly and requires the trainee many hours of apprenticeship observations before gaining the required skillset it takes to perform such surgeries. 3D printing can create realistic, accurate models of the human body in less time, at a fraction of the cost of the traditional methods. This gives the trainee more hours of training with less drawbacks and gets them ready for real world scenarios in a faster time.

 

3D printing has already proven itself for the enormous potential it has in the future of medicine, and it is still developing. 3D printing in medicine is one of the most disruptive technologies that could have the potential to change medicine and healthcare around the world, by making care more affordable, accessible, and personalized. What the future has in store is unknown, but from what we can see so far, the path that is being paved out is looking great for humanity. Making prosthetics and implants cheaper, quickly printing needed equipment in parts of the world that might not have access to these tools and 3D printing models of the human body for education and learning uses for medical students, are just some of the many examples in how 3D printing is changing the field of medicine. As 3D printers become more advanced, more lives are being saved every day from technology that has been around for over 40 years but is just getting started in the field of medicine. 

References

1.  "Most used 3D printing technologies 2017–2018 | Statistic". Statista. Retrieved 2 December 2018
2.  Cooper, Kenneth G. (2001). Rapid prototyping technology : selection and application. New York: Marcel Dekker
3.  Bejerano, Pablo G. (28 September 2018). "Barcelona researcher develops 3D printer that makes 'steaks'". El País. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
4.  "3D Printing Overhang: How to 3D Print Overhangs". All3DP. 16 June 2021.Retrieved 11 October 2021.