Three-dimensional printing surgical instruments:
are we there yet? Rankin, Timothy M. et al. Journal of Surgical Research, Volume 189, Issue 2, 193 - 197 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2014.02.020
Conclusions: Our estimates place the cost per unit of a 3D-printed retractor to be roughly 1/
10th the cost of a stainless steel instrument. The PLA Army/Navy retractor is strong enough
for the demands of the OR. Freshly extruded PLA in a clean environment, such as an OR,
would produce a sterile ready-to-use instrument. Because of the unprecedented accessi-
bility of 3D printing technology world wide and the cost efficiency of these instruments,
there are far reaching implications for surgery in some underserved and less developed
parts of the world.
3D Printed Surgical Instruments: The Design and Fabrication Process. George M, et alt. J. World J Surg. 2017;41(1):314–319. doi:10.1007/s00268-016-3814-5 Conclusions: Functional 3D printed surgical instruments are feasible. Advantages compared to traditional manufacturing methods include no increase in cost for increased complexity, accelerated design to production times and surgeon specific modifications.
3D Printed Surgical Instruments Evaluated by a Simulated Crew of a Mars Mission Wong, Julielynn .Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance, Volume 87, Number 9, September 2016, pp. 806-810(5) Discussion: These limited findings support further investigation into the creation of an onboard digital catalog of validated 3D printable surgical instrument design files to support autonomous, crew-administered healthcare on Mars missions. Future work could include addressing sterility, biocompatibility, and having astronaut crew medical officers test a wider range of surgical instruments printed in microgravity during actual surgical procedures.
