How can 3D printing medical models make surgery safer?
Medics, an Italian 3D printing company, explains how 3D printing can make surgery safer.
Medics is an Italian company created in 2016 as a startup dedicated to 3D printed medical models.
It was founded and designed to make surgical procedures safer, better planned, and as minimally invasive as possible, offering an approach that benefits the patient, the surgeon, and the hospital facility.
Medics aims to do this by supporting surgeons in pre-operative planning and intra-operative management of surgeries through patient-specific 3D anatomical reconstructions called Hyper Accuracy 3D (HA3D). These are created from the patient's DICOM images (CT, AngioTAC, MRI) by a team of biomedical engineers and are designed to realistically reproduce the anatomical area undergoing surgery. All 3D printed medical models are printed directly in the hospital facility due to the remote printing capabilities of the Ultimaker S5 Pro Bundle.
Why use 3D printing?
The benefits associated with the use of 3D models are countless. For surgeons, HA3D 3D printed medical models allow them to:
- Have better visual-spatial perception of the anatomical area to be operated on
- Reduce the effort to memorise specific actions inherent in classical surgical planning, based on the exclusive support of two-dimensional images
- Simulate the entire operation to predict the outcome of surgery more accurately, reducing intra- and post-operative risks and complications
- Interact with the 3D reconstruction even intraoperatively, using it as a reference
For the patient, on the other hand, being operated on by a professional who has trained using a customised anatomical 3D printed medical model should mean receiving safer, and less invasive treatment.
The benefits associated with the use of HA3D 3D printing medical models are also for the hospital.
These make it possible to:
- Limit surgical and hospitalisation time, reducing related costs
- Decrease of intra- or post-operative risks and complications and, consequently, medico-legal issues
Beyond this, 3D printing medical models can also have a value for education.
Due to this technology, younger surgeons can learn by practicing in complete safety, reducing the risks of error, infection, and unforeseen events.
Not just 3D printed reconstructions and guides
HA3D 3D printed medical models are not the only products offered by Medics.
ICON3D is a SaMD (Software as a Medical Device) for intra-operative visualisation and manipulation of virtual HA3D anatomical models.
The goal of ICON3D is to provide support for complex surgery by allowing the surgeon to reproduce interactive, patient-specific pre-operative planning during the operation itself.
This aim is to optimise the surgeon's perception of the patient's actual anatomy, visualisation of the endoscopic video stream, even in touch-less mode.
3D printed medical models made directly and remotely in the hospital
The creation of models by Medics' 3D printed medical models is particularly accessible and simple: The printers can be placed directly in hospitals and operated completely remotely.
This allows surgeons to have the physical model of the bone or organ they need to operate on, ready to use, and without shipping, in roughly 24 hours – without having to manage the printing process or the machine.
The use of the Ultimaker S5 Pro Bundle enables remote management of printing, through cloud capabilities.
These include the Ultimaker Material Station, which allows up to six reels of printing filaments to be stored, protecting them from humidity and degradation. And also the Ultimaker Air Manager which maintains air quality by filtering up to 95% of ultrafine particles during the printing process.
Conclusion: Redefining surgical planning
The careful study of materials for 3D printed medical models has enabled Medics to simulate bone structure in prototypes, offering physicians the most realistic, highly customised simulation possible, and at the same time, eco-friendly and with a simplified storage and refill process.