3D Printing for Medical Applications: Current State of the Art and Perspectives during the COVID-19 Crisis

Abstract

The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has affected over one hundred million people worldwide and has resulted in over two million deaths. In addition to the toll that coronavirus takes on the health of humans infected with the virus and the potential long term effects of infection, the repercussions of the pandemic on the economy as well as on the healthcare system have been enormous. The global supply of equipment necessary for dealing with the pandemic experienced extreme stress as healthcare systems around the world attempted to acquire personal protective equipment for their workers and medical devices for treating COVID-19. This review describes how 3D printing is currently being used in life saving surgeries such as heart and lung surgery and how 3D printing can address some of the worldwide shortage of personal protective equipment, by examining recent trends of the use of 3D printing and how these technologies can be applied during and after the pandemic. We review the use of 3D printed models for treating the long term effects of COVID-19. We then focus on methods for generating face shields and different types of respirators. We conclude with areas for future investigation and application of 3D printing technology.

3D-printed mouthpiece adapter for sampling exhaled breath in medical applications

“…1 Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Giggenhauser Straße 35, 85354 Freising, Germany. 2 Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Chair of Aroma and Smell Research, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Henkestraße 9, 91054 Erlangen, Germany. 3 Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM, Feodor-Lynen-Str.…”

“…3D printing for healthcare applications has experienced a surge in interest in recent years due to advancements in the technical performances of printers, the emergence of suitable printing composite materials, and the widespread availability of low-cost printing devices [1,2]. The rapid growth of 3D printing applications in the medical field is expected to revolutionise healthcare [3] and has been suggested to be of particular benefit in times of health crises when 3D printed materials can offer on-demand alternatives to medical parts and equipment that may be in short supply [4][5][6][7].…”

Impact of the First Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Acquisition of Goods and Services in the Italian Health System

“…In order to allow these operations, choices were made about spending and reducing ordinary activities [ 18 , 19 ] in order to maintain as many spaces and people as possible during the emergency. In some cases, new production techniques, as additive manufacturing [ 20 ] or 3D-printing [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ], have been used to address PPE deficiencies.…”

3D Bioprinting for Tissue Engineering Amidst the Century Cataclysm

“…Hagen and team illustrated that assumed the Coronavirus is influencing the preponderance of the globe and it continues unbeknown how long the virus will persist, novel innovations to make special defensive tools to safeguard frontline healthcare employees were required to beat the insufficiencies of stocks that utilize classical formats of industrializing [13]. Moreover, 3D printing is sure to be one solution presently utilized in the medical domain to cope defies in surgery and prosthetics due to their ease of making and reliability.…”