All over the world, surgeons and doctors have become more and more accustomed to using personalize 3D printed models to help prepare for complex surgeries. In India particularly, the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) has been utilizing 3D printed aids for pediatric cardiac surgeries, such as the complex heart operation they have just performed on a young boy named Ram. The boy came to AIMS at just two-months old, when doctors found that he had a rare and critical heart condition that included an obstructed artery and a ventricular septal defect.
Ram’s heart condition proved to be a difficult procedure to plan for, and, so, AIMS Pediatric Cardiologist Dr. Mahesh Kappanayil decided to turn to the 3D printing technology to aid in the surgery. The one issue with this was that most medical-grade 3D printing services were located overseas and were quite expensive. This problem was quickly solved once Dr. Mahesh learned about Mumbai-based 3D printing company Sahas Softtech LLP. “I realized that the expertise and potential for creating 3D printed heart models existed right here in India”, the doctor says.
After Dr. Mahesh and the AIMS team received the 3D model from Sahas Softtech the evening before Ram’s surgery, they were able to fully grasp the complex heart condition, allowing for a more speedy and successful procedure. Ram did indeed recover well, and, even though he will likely need more cardiac procedures in the future, Dr. Mahesh believes that this initial procedure would have been much more difficult without the aid of 3D printing technology.
“All the intricate details of Ram’s heart and its abnormalities became clearly evident – much more than what was possible through all his previous scans,” Dr. Mahesh adds. “Using the model, his surgery could be precisely planned and executed on the same day, with a much shorter surgery time than otherwise.”
Sahas Softtech LLP has already aided multiple Indian hospitals with their 3D printed models, also helping out the NM Medical Center in Mumbai with similarly complex cardiac surgeries. All over India, the 3D printing company has been helping to save the lives of Indian children with critical heart conditions. Thanks to the international reach of 3D printing technology within the medical field, many kids such as Ram are getting a new lease on life, while the success rate of these intensive surgeries will continue to improve by allowing surgeons to prepare adequately on these medical-grade 3D printed aids.
