axial3D provides Newcastle hospitals with in-house 3D printing facility

A new in-house 3D printing facility has been installed within Newcastle hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for use by orthopaedic and spinal surgeons.

The in-house 3D printing facility has been provided by medical 3D printing firm, axial 3D.

The on-site 3D printing lab will allow clinicians within Newcastle hospitals immediate access to patient-specific 3D printed models. This technology by axial 3D claims to have removed steps within production, and therefore as a result healthcare professionals will have more time to spend focusing on patient care.

Through in-house management, these 3D printing facilities allow hospitals to provide patient-specific 3D printed models for pre-operative planning and patient consent without the need to raise capital expenditure or deploy additional resources.

Excess prints can be produced at axial3D’s head office and shipped to the requesting clinician, and the Trust will host a printer onsite at the Royal Victoria Infirmary for day-to-day use. As a result, the Trust can ensure it is able to address the evolving patient needs.

axial3D’s printed models claim to already have provided time and cost savings, and spinal surgeon Andrew Bowey said he saved over 120 minutes of time during a complex surgical procedure whilst treating a patient suffering from Spina Bifida and a severe kyphotic deformity. This amount of time equates to a financial value of around £8000.The 3D model also reportedly contributed to a reduced blood loss and better communication with the surgical team. This in turn resulted in a better experience for the patient.

Bowey said: “3D printing has become an essential part of pre-operative planning in complex spinal cases. In Newcastle, we’re excited to now roll 3D printing out across the trust. The benefits in other areas, such as trauma, are clear to see.”

Daniel Crawford, CEO at axial3D commented: “The orthopaedic and spinal team at Newcastle Hospitals have an international reputation for their ground-breaking work on complex conditions. We are excited to be working closely with the team to assist in making medical 3D printing routine practice within the Trust, to ultimately help improve the quality of patient care across the region.

“3D printing is revolutionising how we deliver patient care. axial3D has created a cost-effective and easy method for hospitals such as Newcastle to provide this technology to their patients, without impacting day to day workloads. We warmly welcome Newcastle to the growing number of institutions who have selected axial3D as their medical 3D printing partner across the world.”