3D Printing in Advanced Economies - Organ Printing

It’s always interesting to explore how different technologies are applied in different parts of the world. 3D Printing, in particular, has channeled a bevy of creative energies through its many applications all over the globe. In breaking down the current and potential ramifications of 3D Printing, let’s consider these items within the realms of developed countries. This will be a two-part piece where I will cover our progress and possibilities in developing countries.

In well established economies, 3D Printing has been developed in many inventive areas including the following industries: medical, automotive, aerospace and weaponry. For the purpose of this introductory investigation, let’s take the example of organ printing for discussion. Organ printing has already been used to save lives, beginning with saving a baby’s life in 2012. 

Kaiba Gionfriddo had been born prematurely with lung development problems, diagnosed as tracheobronchomalacia about six weeks after his birth. This meant his windpipe was weak, causing his trachea and left bronchus to collapse. Even after a tracheostomy and the use of a ventilator, he still could not breathe comfortably and his heart stopped almost every day. Dr. Glenn Green and Dr. Scott Hollister then used 3D printing to build a bioresorbable lung splint for Kaiba, using computer modeling software to create the splint and match Kaiba’s windpipe. 3 weeks after the operation, Kaiba no longer needed a ventilator to breathe. This is an amazing feat which would have seemed like science fiction about a decade ago. It’s also important to note that this wasn’t a proven solution prior to this case and the doctors only obtained FDA approval as this was an emergency case. This can now be used as a precedence to further research and application of organ printing.

The ethics behind this are already controversial and will continue to spark much debate as we continue to expand on cases where this technology can and will be used. This could potentially save millions of lives which would have otherwise have been lost as viable organs are in such short supply. This also has impacts geographically depending on the beliefs and regulations of each area. Similar to the stem cell applications, each region will have different thoughts on when we can intervene and when we should not play God. I, along with many others, anxiously await to watch the global landscape of these stories unfold.

  

For more details on Kaiba’s case and insights into how 3D Printing is being used in the above mentioned industries, please follow link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2013/10/08/what-can-3d-printing-do-here-are-6-creative-examples/. 

Written by: Carol Lam