3D Printed Hearts Made For Surgery Practice
Surgeries aren’t exactly a laughing matter, but it’s thanks to the deft hands of doctors that they don’t have to spell instant doom. They’re professionals for a reason, after all — even if that puts plenty of pressure on them to excel. There might be ways to lower that pressure besides years of medical school, though; now there are means for a hands-on approach.
A team of researchers from MIT and Boston Children’s Hospital came up with a new method for training surgeons, especially with one of the most sensitive organs around. By using MRI scans — and an algorithm to speed up the process — it’s possible to gather hundreds of cross-sections of a person’s heart, and then arrange them to create a model ready for 3D printing. The process takes roughly three hours; when it’s finished, a surgeon can use the model to practice without fear of carving up a patient.
The procedure shows promise, but its creators readily admit that there’s still work to be done. It isn’t fully-automated yet, so an expert has to make sure the data is organized — and even then, the actual quality and effectiveness of 3D hearts has to be determined in the months to come. Still, the technology wouldn’t exist in the first place if it was useless; giving surgeons the tools they need means giving patients longer lives.
