Point-of-care manufacturing: a single university hospital’s initial experience

Abstract

Background The integration of 3D printing technology in hospitals is evolving toward production models such as point-of-care manufacturing. This study aims to present the results of the integration of 3D printing technology in a manufacturing university hospital. Methods Observational, descriptive, retrospective, and monocentric study of 907 instances of 3D printing from November 2015 to March 2020. Variables such as product type, utility, time, or manufacturing materials were analyzed. Results Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and Gynecology and Obstetrics are the medical specialties that have manufactured the largest number of processes. Working and printing time, as well as the amount of printing material, is different for different types of products and input data. The most common printing material was polylactic acid, although biocompatible resin was introduced to produce surgical guides. In addition, the hospital has worked on the co-design of custom-made implants with manufacturing companies and has also participated in tissue bio-printing projects. Conclusions The integration of 3D printing in a university hospital allows identifying the conceptual evolution to “point-of-care manufacturing.”

Quantitative Assessment of Point-of-Care 3D-Printed Patient-Specific Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) Cranial Implants

“…Material extrusion-based 3D printing from thermoplastic polymer filaments usually referred to as fused filament fabrication (FFF), is the most commonly used AM technique in hospitals due to its ease of operability and availability of low-cost machines. However, FFF technology has been limited to the production of anatomical biomodels and has not yet been adopted into the mainstream production of functional implants [24][25][26]. With advancements in AM systems, 3D printing of high-temperature thermoplastic polymers such as polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and prospects for customized FFF 3D-printed PEEK surgical implants have emerged, increasing attention for POC manufacturing [27][28][29].…”

Vital Role of In-House 3D Lab to Create Unprecedented Solutions for Challenges in Spinal Surgery, Practical Guidelines and Clinical Case Series

“…To mitigate risks and comply with this new legislation, all in-house development of medical devices needs an appropriate Quality Management System (ISO13485) and multidisciplinary expertise for dossier building. Thankfully, we anticipated this change and started early with a multidisciplinary collaboration for 3D technology within our hospital and with affiliated technical universities [ 5 ]. This collaboration resulted in the current 3D lab with medically trained staff and engineers and had support of the Medical Technology and Clinical Physics department that was already ISO-13485-accredited for medical device development.…”

“…Such a facility, frequently known as a (point-of-care) 3D lab, uses the output of established state-of-the-art clinical image modalities such as the newest CT and MRI and subsequently post-processes the data into digital anatomical models to better embody the patient and to allow interaction with surgeons for the development of custom-made medical devices [7][8][9][10]. To enable this, the 3D lab personnel act as a multidisciplinary team to remove boundaries such as jargon, and should be able to quickly produce 3D models, prototypes, and even implants under governance of an appropriate quality management system (ISO 13485:2016) [5]. This 3D technology is especially important for tertiary referral hospitals, which primarily function as a specialized center for complex cases and ultimately as a safety net for last-resort cases [6,11].…”

“…However, to optimally benefit from such front-running technological enhancement, close interaction between all stakeholders and especially between technical and medical personnel is mandatory [ 3 ]. Therefore, an increasing number of hospitals are establishing a 3D printing point-of-care facility in which the opportunities of 3D printing, in terms of technical possibilities and legal/regulatory challenges, can be fully explored [ 5 , 6 ]. Such a facility, frequently known as a (point-of-care) 3D lab, uses the output of established state-of-the-art clinical image modalities such as the newest CT and MRI and subsequently post-processes the data into digital anatomical models to better embody the patient and to allow interaction with surgeons for the development of custom-made medical devices [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ].…”

Design and 3D-printing of MRI-compatible cradle for imaging mouse tumors

“…Since its introduction in the 1980's, three-dimensional (3D) printing, also known as rapid prototyping, has grown to provide solutions to a myriad of design challenges. With addition of CAD software, 3D printing has undergone a metamorphosis and is used in a wide range of medical applications including patient-specific anatomical modeling, surgical planning, medical implants, and patient education [1], and could decrease economic impact [2,3]. Along with computed tomography (CT) and MRI, CAD software can be used in 3D printing to generate geometry for production models and devices [4,5].…”