Why 3D Printing Matters in Healthcare

Technology in healthcare has really come a long way, but many of the innovations of today are still yet to gain momentum as the 3D Printing technology already has so far.

Now, 3D Printing is taking over, making things even easier and less costly. Moreover, for a real change in healthcare industry, you can actually count on the technology’s inquisitive nature that a lot is yet to come. Significant achievements and benefits have already been realized in healthcare, thanks to 3D printing tech. Here are some of them.

Using this technology, scientists have been able to print human skin, which comes in handy as a relief for people with skin diseases and other problems as third degree burns. Further, 3D skin printing can also help in the beauty industry. Additionally, 3D printing has helped patients with critical problems as heart defects, aiding in such ways as patch hole in the heart, which has recently proved to be a life-saving procedure.

With such conditions requiring high level precision in the replacement of tissues, only 3D printing has stood fit enough to be applicable in such sensitive cases. Fracture braces have been unsolved problems for well a long time now, but with 3D printing replacing the use of fiberglass wrap, the problem has apparently met its match.

Patients no longer have to be concerned about having remedies that will have to affect their daily life activities. Further, sophisticated 3D printers have helped realize photo-curable issues with transparency, flexibility and texture, which help surgeons to plan complex using data collected from CT scans on patients’ various organs.

3D printing has also made execution of skeletal operations involving cutting easier, besides helping create matching customs guides and tools. It is undeniable that although use of 3D printing as a new technology has to come with some costs, it has helped reduce treatment costs for many patients. With 3D printers, production of certain prosthetic parts of the body as hands can be achievable to many patients as it is cheaper, at hundreds of dollars than using traditional methods, in which case the same would be going for as much as $10, 000.

As this technology continues to advance, realization of replacement of more complex organs is looming in the horizon, which can be a major step in healthcare. Researchers have proved that this is possible, with 3D printing of the outer ear from hydrogel, human cells and nanoparticles. This is a positive indication that with this technology on board, researchers will be able to print more organs, at least some if not all of them.

Conclusion

Researchers in healthcare have been doing almost everything in their ability to come up with answers to complex health questions. With many technologies that have been invented failing to cover this gap, there seems to be a new way of things that will definitely contribute to large developments in understanding and manipulating the human body. It is no doubt that 3D printing is a significant breakthrough that has been sought after, even if many more will come along, this technology has really been the trendsetter.

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