Medical 3D printing is a revolutionary technology at the intersection of biomedical engineering, material science and computational analysis. The process involves additive manufacturing, where objects are built layer by layer from a 3D computer model. In the medical field, 3D printing is being used to create customised implants, prosthetics, surgical tools and medical devices that enhance patient outcomes and recovery time. A key development in this field is bioprinting, which uses live cells to print tissues and miniature working organs. This could potentially lead to fully-functional organs being printed for transplantation in the future. This technology also enables the production of personalised medical equipment and dental products that significantly improve precision and efficiency in patient care.
The use of 3D printing in medicine has taken huge leaps in the last 5 years. It is an exciting new application, at the intersection of bioengineering, material science and computational analysis, that can truly help us save and improve the quality of many lives. The pharmaceutical industry has embraced this new technology as well. 3D printing has huge potential to revolutionise healthcare. In this article, we will delve into how this is happening.
3D printing in medicine has given customised medicine a big boost. We can now take our understanding of an individual case and create a custom solution which will fit perfectly. This is used in many departments such as orthopaedics, paediatrics, radiology and oncology. We can 3D print customised implants, customised surgical tools and even custom medical devices like inhalers. 3D printing also allows dentists to print out accurate, anatomically correct models. This allows them to visualise and plan a more efficient surgical plan before they open the patient up in surgery, giving better outcomes and quicker recovery times. 3D printing can also be used to create customised prosthetics and medications.
3D printing is an innovative manufacturing process that uses the principle of “additive manufacturing”. This is the process of creating a 3-dimensional object from a 3-dimensional computer model. The object is created through an “additive process”, which means that it is built up in layers from the bottom up. Think of how a house is built with layers of bricks stacked on top of each other to build the final form. The 3D computer model of the final object is “sliced” into many layers, and the layers are fabricated one on top of another, in order. This creates the final form. The additive process helps us create complex shapes without wasting too much material. This is in contrast to a “subtractive process”, in which we usually start with a block of the material, and hollow out or remove the parts we don’t need. The parts removed from the block are essentially wasted. 3D printing allows us to quickly transform a theoretical 3D shape into a physical form. The speed of the process is crucial in a field like medicine where it is important to act quickly to save the patient.
Bioprinting is the future of 3D printing in medicine. It is an application of the additive manufacturing process wherein we use live cells as the material for 3D printing. At present, 3D bioprinting can be used to print tissues and miniature organ models for testing and research purposes. According to market reports, the value of the bioprinting industry is set to reach 3.3 billion dollars by 2027. There is a huge demand for bioprinting solutions in the pharmaceutical and cosmetology industries. Using this tech, we can create live tissues like blood vessels, bones, skin, etc. These tissues would be customised to each patient reducing the chances of rejection. Bioprinting can also be used to create organ scaffolds for transplantation.
Indian start-ups too have begun to experiment with bioprinting. It is no longer a domain dominated by Western countries. A Hyderabad-based company is working on 3D bioprinting of corneas in collaboration with IIT, Hyderabad. The shortage of donor corneas is a reality in South India that this solution could address. 3D printed corneas can bridge the gap in supply and give many patients the gift of vision.
In the future, it is possible that bioprinting will play an important role in every aspect of healthcare. It could allow us to create entire organs for transplant, complete with an entire network of blood vessels within it. It will allow us to stop animal testing and will give us a better understanding of the impact of drugs and diseases on human cells. There could soon be a time where a patient can have new skin 3D printed directly onto an open wound. The precision with which 3D bioprinting can help us operate on patients will be a game changer.
Over 30 million people need assistance with movement all over the world. Over 80 percent of these people do not have access to modern prosthetics. Traditional prosthetics are made using the casting process. This requires a mould. Every time even a small adjustment is made to the design of the prosthetic, an entirely new mould needs to be made. 3D printing of prosthetics is a quicker and easier method. NGOs like Not Impossible are using 3D printed prosthetics to help refugees from those parts of the world which are ravaged by war. They actually took 3D printers to Sudan and trained local operators to create custom prosthetics for patients. The prosthetics produced this way are more comfortable to wear because the 3D modelling software allows us to model the curvatures of the human body to a high degree of accuracy.
Medical implants can also be custom-made using 3D printing. This tech becomes very useful in complex trauma cases. In 2016, a patient suffering from a tumour that had eroded his spine was admitted to the Peking University Third Hospital. The tumour had to be surgically removed, and this included parts of 5 vertebrae on his spine. To address this, the doctors designed and 3D printed 5 artificial vertebrae to fit him perfectly using EBM technology. This implant helped the patient regain spine stability and reduced pain. The device was also more durable because it was designed correctly to take the load it would be subjected to. The prosthetic helped the patient walk without braces just 2 months after the surgery was done!
Components of joints are also printed for use during hip replacement and knee replacement surgeries. The components can be customised to fit the patient exactly, giving them better comfort and ease of movement. Scientists are also working on 3D printed medical products like stents, which dissolve once they have served their purpose. This way the patient doesn’t have to undergo another surgery for removal of the stent.
The technique of additive manufacturing is now also applied to the design and development of personalized medical equipment and surgical tools. Custom surgical tools like forceps, chemostats and clamps can now be quickly 3D printed for use in complicated surgeries. This helps surgeons access parts of the patient’s anatomy during surgery that may be hard to do with the standard tools. These tools can also be made very small and very precise to fit through tight spaces without damaging surrounding tissue. Using 3D printing keeps production costs significantly lower for individual pieces.
3D printing is also being used to create equipment like inhalers and even customised pills. Using this tech, pharmaceutical companies can create one consolidated pill, which has all the different drugs the patient may have to take. They can even engineer these to have separate release profiles so that they get released into the body at different times. The single customised pill makes it easier for patients to keep track of and take all of their medications. When we make pill schedules easier to adhere to, the patient recovers better.
3D printing has become an invaluable tool in dentistry and orthodontics. Doctors can fabricate custom braces, dental bridges and denture frameworks more quickly with the additive manufacturing process without sacrificing accuracy. These structures can be printed without the need for manufacturing a mould. Clear aligners are a great example of this. The traditional process for manufacturing clear aligners involves milling and manual shaping which take a lot of time and manpower to do. Now that dentists have embraced 3D printing, they can use patient scans to directly build a custom model of the clear aligners and print them in no time.
At Kauvery Hospital, with branches in Chennai, Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli, and Trichy, we are committed to pioneering advanced medical technologies, such as 3D printing and bioprinting, to enhance patient care. Our expertise in custom implants, prosthetics, medical equipment, and dental solutions ensures that each patient receives tailored and effective treatment for improved outcomes and quicker recovery times. Experience the future of medicine with us.
Kauvery Hospital is globally known for its multidisciplinary services at all its Centers of Excellence, and for its comprehensive, Avant-Grade technology, especially in diagnostics and remedial care in heart diseases, transplantation, vascular and neurosciences medicine. Located in the heart of Trichy (Tennur, Royal Road and Alexandria Road (Cantonment), Chennai (Alwarpet & Vadapalani), Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli and Bengaluru, the hospital also renders adult and pediatric trauma care.
Chennai Alwarpet – 044 4000 6000 • Chennai Vadapalani – 044 4000 6000 • Trichy – Cantonment – 0431 4077777 • Trichy – Heartcity – 0431 4003500 • Trichy – Tennur – 0431 4022555 • Hosur – 04344 272727 • Salem – 0427 2677777 • Tirunelveli – 0462 4006000 • Bengaluru – 080 6801 6801
Table of Content An introduction to skin cancer Types of skin cancer Causes of skin…
Table of Content Introduction What are the most common illnesses at school? When to skip…
Table of Content Introduction What is IVF? How is IVF done? Are you a candidate…
Table of Content Introduction Ingredients - Regular vs. Diet Sodas Impact on Weight Management Impact…
Kavya woke up with an itchy throat and a heavy head. She would have to…
Summary Painful Menstrual Cramps is one of the symptoms of a condition called Dysmenorrhea in…