[3D Printing Applications] How can SLS Sinterit Lisa 3D printing save lives during heart surgery?

[3D Printing Applications] How can SLS Sinterit Lisa 3D printing save lives during heart surgery?

Pediatric heart surgery is one of the most demanding medical specialties, requiring the handling of delicate structures such as the tiny hearts of newborns. A newborn's heart weighs only 20 grams, small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, and such a small heart presents significant medical challenges.



Difficult situation

When the heart has only one abnormality or belongs to a common disease, most doctors can visualize the abnormality based on their experience or common methods, such as CT scans and MRIs. The real challenge lies in cases where the heart is very small, the disease is rare, or it differs from other typical cases; a difference of less than a millimeter can determine life or death. To increase the survival rate, surgeons need to understand the situation as much as possible to determine whether surgery is necessary, and if so, how to perform it in the best way.



In this case, Cordian, a three-week-old baby from Poland, suffered from traumatic aortic dissection, a heart condition in which the body's largest artery is torn or ruptured—a potentially fatal condition. Cordian's life was also in danger; the doctors and Cordian's mother—who knew nothing about the disease—had to quickly decide whether to proceed with the surgery.



Solution

3D printing has become the best solution to this problem, allowing cardiologists to print every part of the heart and closely monitor for abnormalities. They can even conduct simulated surgeries before the actual operation. While common FDM printers are sufficient for daily use, doctors need a model that doesn't require support material during printing to avoid influencing errors. They completely replicate every small vein and artery around the heart, and because SLS Sinterit Lisa 3D printing requires no support even in complex details, SLS Sinterit Lisa 3D printed models can be used both for planning heart surgery and during the surgical process, especially in rare congenital heart diseases where the complexity varies from patient to patient.



The SLS Sinterit Lisa 3D-printed medical model aids in surgical planning, making it safer, easier, and faster. Doctors use 3D-printed heart models to practice procedures, effectively improving surgical success rates and leading to better lives for patients.

The surgeons decided to print Cordian's heart to plan the surgery. Using an SLS Sinterit Lisa 3D printing model, the condition of the small heart was clearly visible; this helped in preparation for the complex operation, including connecting the fragments of the ruptured aorta. Seeing the model made it easier for Cordian's mother to understand how serious his condition was and how the surgery would be performed. This made her realize the necessity of surgery much more readily than simply seeing the defects on a screen.



Now Cordian is 18 months old, and his happy face and energy in front of strangers make it impossible to tell that a year ago the boy was almost unable to survive.



The key assistance provided by SLS Sinterit Lisa 3D printing in this medical case:

The most distinctive advantage of SLS Sinterit Lisa 3D printing is its ability to 3D print 1:1 models of a newborn's heart while preserving complete anatomical structures (such as veins, trachea, or arteries).
• Help students understand heart disease planning and simulate actual surgery in the most intuitive way, improving the success rate of surgery.
It helps explain heart disease to parents or relatives who generally do not have a medical background.

We are delighted that the continuous advancement of modern technology has given this little life the opportunity to be reborn. Through the continuous innovation of SLS Sinterit Lisa 3D printing technology and its integration with more diverse fields, 3D printing will undoubtedly cross over into more application areas in the future. To learn more about 3D printing, you can refer to other articles on the website, or key explanations that are easy for beginners to understand ; if you need to create prototypes , we also provide high-quality printing services .
We're happy to share information about the latest technology applications and will announce news and promotions on our fan page . Stay tuned to get the latest updates!

Original link: https://www.sinterit.com/use-case/how-to-save-a-tiny-life/