A two-year-old girl who was born with a serious heart defect has had a life-saving operation thanks to a 3D printer.
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Modern technology is awe striking. One modern technological feat can be seen in the 3D printer. It has expanded the possibilities within the realms of multiple domains, including architecture, the arts, automotive technologies and even medicine.
Engineers are able to 3D print spare parts for vehicles and build homes these days, utilizing such materials as plastics, glass, metal, concrete, and foodstuffs. The technology has also entered into the market, having become relatively cost-efficient to use for things such as eyeglasses, jewelry and furniture. 3D printing has been used to create models and replicas of everything from toys and novelties to full blown body parts.
The BBC reported on Tuesday that one two-year-old girl owes her recovery to such a model. Upon birth, her mother, Natasha Buckley, had been told that she had about a 50 percent chance of living due to a serious heart defect. A hole lying between the two chambers of her heart since before birth made it difficult for the young one to even breathe or eat properly.
Doctors used a 3D printer to make a plastic printed replica of Mina Khan‘s little heart to help them understand the defect and plan accordingly towards a successful operation. The Daily Mail reports that the two-year-old is now thriving post-surgery. “They [the surgeons] were able to perfect the complicated procedure needed to cure Mina,” they say. Little Mina can breathe and eat normally, now. Her hair has begun to grow and she is thriving, growing as any two-year old child does.
The replicated heart was a sort of map that surgeons used to create a game plan pre-operation. It helped them to pinpoint what exactly they were looking for and how to go about repairs. While repairing holes in the heart is not an uncommon procedure, The Tribune reports that the replica heart printed by Dr. Tarique Hussain enabled surgeons to go in to the surgery room with confidence.
The replica was created from CT scan images that Hussain then segmented out “into format using special software suitable for printing,” creating a life-sized and precise copy of the girl’s heart. The replica showed the exact size of the hole that surgeons were to look for.
In Wales, 3D printing is also being used to create implants for patients (not just models or replicas). The BBC reports that “Hip implants or models for reconstructive facial surgery are all produced from resin using high intensity lasers.” These implants prove to be time efficient and money saving solutions to what would otherwise be very expensive procedures.
Want to learn more about how 3D printing works? We found this informative video which explains some of the history behind 3D printing, along with how the technology is used and how it may affect the future.
*originally published on the now defunct Examiner.com
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