It would have been a very difficult and delicate procedure, but thanks to the marvels of 3D printing, a two-year-old is able to get a new lease in life.
When Mina was born, her mother, Nastasha Buckley, was told up front by the doctors that the baby had around 50-50 chance of living. They just discovered a hole in the middle of the baby's heart chambers. This made it very difficult for the baby to breathe. She also struggled to eat very well.
The only solution was a very delicate, complicated procedure. What made it even harder was that they would be operating on a tiny two-year-old child.
To help them, the doctors turned to 3D printing. It's a revolutionary printing technology that allows users to create 3D, almost life-like, objects. With it, the doctors of King's College London headed by Dr. Tarique Hussain was able to create a perfect replica of the baby's heart. The doctor first obtained a CT scan image of Mina's heart. Then the image was then divided into various segments. They were subsequently printed in parts using a special application attached to the 3D printer.
The 3D printed heart was the exact size of the baby's heart, and already included the hole. The output then allowed the doctors to properly study the condition and come up with a more reliable plan prior to the operation. As Dr. Hussain put it, when they went into the operating room, the surgeons were filled with confidence.
Now the baby is doing very well. Not only is she able to breathe properly, she also has no issues with eating. Her hair is also starting to grow.
3D printing has become an important technology in health care. Some use it to create replicas to help train surgeons. In other parts of the United Kingdom, 3D printing is used to create implants that are then embedded directly into the body of the patient.
