Implementing In-Hospital 3D Printing (Physicians Weekly)
Although 3D printing has become more popular in the last decade, few hospitals are printing by themselves. The Elisabeth-Tweesteden Hospital in Tilburg, the Netherlands, has purchased two 3D printers—the Makerbot Replicator Z18 and the Ultimaker 3—in the past year. The hospital, a Level-1 trauma center with a large neurosurgical department, aims to service 75% of all major trauma patients in the area. The trauma center’s 3D printing system focuses on bone structures and aims to help trauma surgeons better prepare for complex fractures.
Taking a Closer Look
The 3D printing lab is directed by trauma surgeon Mike Bemelman, MD, and Lars Brouwers, MD, MSc, PhD-candidate. Their goal is to provide all surgeons and residents with 3D-printed anatomical models to help with surgical preparations, understand fracture patterns, and determine optimal surgical approaches. “The beginning of our 3D-printing process was difficult, because we had to find out which printers were suitable for medical 3D printing,” says Dr. Brouwers. “Furthermore, we had to determine how to convert CT files into 3D printing files called stereolithography (STL) fil...
