Over the last decade, the healthcare industry has been developing new tools and advanced technology to bring doctors and patients together. They are even creating customized devices to serve each patient uniquely. Medical 3D printing technology has made many tremendous contributions in the medical field.
New tools and therapeutic methods created by 3D printing may bring more personalization to the treatment and comfort. Moreover, the latest technology is beneficial in providing a greater understanding of complex cases. From 3D surgical models to 3D bioprinting, read to discover the four ways 3D printing has the potential to change the healthcare sector.
Surgical Models:
3D printed anatomical models have been proved advantageous in many complex surgeries from time to time. Surgeons create 3D models from patients’ scans and use them to plan the surgery with precision and care. Complex surgeries are slightly hard to perform as they consume a lot of time.
Thus, planning with the visual and tactical models can help the whole medical team to save time and any mishappenings. Today, 3D anatomical models are reference tools for professionals, hospitals, and research organizations worldwide for planning, visualization, and pre-fitting of medical equipment for sophisticated and standard cases.
New Devices:
3D printing is cutting-edge technology and has become the equivalent of rapid prototyping. 3D printing has completely revolutionised the product development process. Many manufacturers have already adopted this technology to produce medical tools like medical devices and surgical instruments as it is easy and costs less.
Moreover, 3D printing produces products faster as compared to manufacturing machines. The design process that would take weeks to complete only takes days with 3D printing. Around 90 percent of the top 50 medical equipment manufacturing companies use 3D printing to develop accurate prototypes of medical devices and tools.
Affordable Prostheses:
Approximately hundreds of thousands of people lose their limbs due to some accident each year. However, only a tiny portion of this number gets access to prostheses which is not enough. Standard prostheses are not available for every size, and as a result, a patient has to work with a prosthesis that fits the best.
On the other hand, custom-fit bionic devices are specially customised for the patient and can mimic the motion of a real limb. But it is expensive, and only those with good health insurance or the rich can afford it. However, companies such as e-NABLE are now manufacturing prostheses by 3D printing, and it costs around $50.
3D Bioprinting:
At present, the treatment of patients with critical organ failure involves autografts. Autograft is a graft tissue transplanted from one part to another of the same body or receiving an organ from a donor. However, many researchers are trying to change it, and instead of using a donor or autografts, they want to use 3D bioprinting.
They aim to create organs, blood vessels, and tissues using 3D bioprinting and tissue engineering. 3D bioprinting uses a deposit substance known as bio-inks to create tissue-like structures and use it in the medical field. However, tissue engineering means using various technologies like 3D bioprinting for growing replacement tissue or organs in the lab. It will be beneficial for the patients as they will not have to wait for a long time to get a transplant.
Conclusion:
3D printing will become a crucial tool in the future. The reason is that it is affordable and precise. It is a technology that empowers healthcare professionals by helping them develop new clinical solutions quickly and deliver new treatments worldwide.
If the improvement in 3D printing technology keeps increasing, it will pave the way for personalised care in the medical sector. Hence, these were some benefits of 3D printing in the medical sector. From prostheses to organs, all will be manufactured under the same technology. We anticipate that you liked our article on 3D printing in healthcare, and you will surely read our other articles.
