Technology is revolutionizing a number of different industries, but one of the most intriguing is how it’s affecting healthcare. From developing better vaccines to making doctors available for consultations through smartphone apps, technology is leading the way. Another technological advancement that is taking the healthcare industry by storm is the advent of the 3-D printer.
As chronicled in a story by the Wall Street Journal, 3-D printing is saving lives and limbs. Take for example the story of 11-year-old London Secor. She developed a rare tumor in her pelvis, and 10 years ago the only way to remove it safely would have been to amputate her leg. However, 3-D imaging and printing allowed doctors to create a perfect model of her hip, the tumor and all her vital organs and blood vessels. This allowed surgeons to physically hold the pelvis model in their hands and create a surgical plan that would allow them to remove the tumor without amputating the leg.
“There is nothing like holding a 3-D model to understand a complicated anatomical procedure,” says Peter Rose, the surgeon who performed the operation on Secor. “The model helped us understand the anatomy that was altered by the tumor and helped us orient ourselves for our cuts around it.”
The pelvis model was one of about 500 3-D printed objects created by the Mayo Clinic last year, and they are expected to print even more this year to aid them in surgical operations.
3-D Imaging
3-D printing uses data from MRIs, CT scan and ultrasounds as well as 3-D pictures to create a 3-D image that can be printed by a special type of printer. These printers have created things from tumors to organ models to artificial limbs in order to help doctors and patients in each unique situation.
Experts project that 3-D printing is here to stay, and they expect it to thrive in the coming decade. The research firm Gartner predicted that by 2019, 10 percent of people in the developed world will be living with a 3-D printed item on or in their body, and that 3-D printing will be a central tool in more than one-third of surgical procedures involving prosthetics or implanted devices.
“[3-D printing in healthcare] could have the transformative impact of the internet or cloud computing a few years ago,” said Anurag Gupta, Gartner vice president, noting that the possibility of printing whole organs is likely only a decade away.
This isn’t the first time that we’ve given praise to the wonders of 3-D printing. Not too long ago, we shared a story of a man who had a prosthetic printed after heel cancer resulted in the loss of his foot.
Potential Obstacles to Widespread 3-D Printing
If the technology has so many benefits, why isn’t it being implemented by more healthcare systems throughout the world? For starters, the technology is expensive. Hospitals aren’t using basic 3-D printers that hobbyists can purchase for about $1,000. Hospital-grade 3-D printers can range from anywhere from $10,000 to $400,000 when you consider the plastics and polymers needed to print certain objects.
Time is also a huge obstacle. Because of the intricate nature of the design being printed, it can take days to produce one object. The medical team who operated on Secor’s hip said that printing took 60 hours to complete, and time also leads to increased costs. There’s no doubt that 3-D printing also offers some cost savings as well as an immeasurable improvement in the quality of life of some patients, but it’s not perfect in its current state, not by a longshot.
Right now only about 10 clinics have their own 3-D printing labs on site, but more hospitals are working towards purchasing their own systems, while others are in talks with 3-D printing companies to develop a contract for assistance on an as-needed basis. It will certainly be an arena to watch in the coming years, and I’m excited about the possibilities.
