John
O’Hearn, a Harford surgeon, has become one of the first surgeons in American to
utilize an iTotal knee replacement system, a system that allows surgeons to use
3D printing to create a highly customized knee implant for each patient.
Although 3D printing is not a completely new technology, this is one of the
first times it is being introduced in common surgeries.
After reading the article, I can see
the many advantages 3D printing offers to the medical world. The purpose of 3D
printed knees, or other joints, is to customize them to the patient’s specific
anatomy. This customization yields many benefits that could not be achieved
through traditional operations. One advantage is that the custom-made joints
are predicted to have higher levels of function and comfort. This is because
the body is more likely to accept a custom-fit joint as a real joint than one
that is not customized. The bone and muscle systems will be able to work with
the replacement well, thus leading to more mobility and comfort. Another
advantage that the article reports is that patients have shorter recovery times
post-operation than they would with traditional knee replacements. O’Hearn says
hospital stays could go down to just a few hours. Shorter hospital stays reduce
the likelihood that a patient will contract an illness post-operation, since
they will be spending less time around other patients. Quicker recovery time is
also an advantage for hospitals; they would have more room to treat more
patients, thus improving our nation’s health care system. Finally, custom fit
joints take less time to implant than traditional ones, making the surgery’s
impact on the patient’s body less severe and reducing the likelihood of
infection.
While the article discusses many
advantages to 3D printed joints, I do see flaws in the iTotal system that could
be devastating if not addressed. The article mentions a recall of this system
that occurred in 2012 due to moisture in some of the pieces. While this problem
was addressed, the fact that the recall occurred makes me believe that there
may be more recalls like this one in the future. Recalling joints may lead to
necessary repair surgeries that could take a toll on the patient’s health even
further. Another possible problem with this system involves the materials the
joints are printed in. The joint is printed with a plastic composite, a
material not commonly used in joint replacements. Since we have not used this
material widely, how will we know that the patient will not have an adverse
reaction to it? Finally, although the article claims that this 3D printed knee
is about the same price as a typical knee replacement, one must consider the
price of even obtaining a 3D printer in the first place. A large 3D printer can
be hard to find and expensive to purchase, thus raising the cost of the operation
for the patient.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/harford/belair/ph-ag-3d-knee-0923-20150925-story.html
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.