Medical 3D printing firm, Axial3D, claims to have provided the world’s first insight into the lungs of a Covid-19 patient with 3D printing.
Axial3D worked with the respiratory team at Belfast Health and Social Care Trust to produce a 1:1 scale 3D model of an actual Covid-19 patient’s lungs. The organisations were able to do this by using CT scans taken from day 14 of the infection.
The 3D model was created using machine learning algorithms powered by AWS and Formlabs Form 3 printing technology, with the lungs split into eight parts, and then joined together after printing with precision placed magnets. The benefits of splitting up the model is to enable healthcare professionals to see how deep the infection is and how it is affecting the patient’s lung.
Roger Johnston, CEO at Axial3D, said: “We now have this incredible result, where we are now able to visualise lungs, like they have never been seen before. We’ve been able to provide the team with a completely new way of viewing and understanding the long term effects from the infection.”