Pediatric cardiac surgery is one of the most demanding medical specialties, dealing with delicate structures like the tiny hearts of newborns. A newborn's heart, weighing only 20 grams, can fit in the palm of a hand, and operating on such a small heart is medically challenging.
．Challenging Situations
When a heart has only one anomaly or a common condition, most doctors can rely on their experience or common methods like CT scans and MRIs to visualize the anomaly. The real challenge arises when the heart is tiny, the condition is rare, or it differs from other typical cases; a difference of less than a millimeter can be a matter of life or death. To increase survival rates, surgeons need to understand the situation as thoroughly as possible to determine whether to operate, and if so, how to best proceed.
In such a case, a 3-week-old Polish infant named Kordian suffered from "traumatic aortic dissection," a heart condition where the body's largest artery is torn or ruptured, which is a fatal condition. For Kordian, his life was also at risk; doctors and Kordian's mother, who had no understanding of the disease, had to quickly decide whether to proceed with this surgery.
．Solution
3D printing has become the best solution to this problem, allowing cardiologists to print each heart and closely observe anomalies. They can even perform simulated surgeries before the actual operation. While common FDM printers suffice for everyday use, doctors need a model that doesn't require support material during printing to avoid errors. They meticulously replicate every tiny vein and artery surrounding the heart. Since SLS Sinterit Lisa 3D printing requires no support even for complex details, SLS Sinterit Lisa 3D printed models can be used for both planning heart surgery and during the surgical procedure, especially for rare congenital heart diseases where complexity varies from patient to patient.
SLS Sinterit Lisa 3D printed medical models help plan surgery, making it safer, easier, and shorter. Doctors use 3D printed hearts for practice, effectively improving surgical success rates and giving patients a better life.
The surgeons decided to print Kordian's heart to plan the surgery. Through the SLS Sinterit Lisa 3D printed model, the condition of the tiny heart was clearly visible; this helped them prepare for the complex surgery, where they reconnected the torn pieces of the aorta. Seeing the model made it easier for Kordian's mother to understand the severity of his condition and how the surgery would proceed. This made her realize the necessity of the surgery much more than just seeing the defect on a screen.
Kordian is now 18 months old, and his happy face and vitality when meeting strangers show no trace of the boy who almost didn't survive a year ago.
．Key assistance provided by SLS Sinterit Lisa 3D printing in this medical case:
．3D printing a 1:1 heart model of a newborn while maintaining complete anatomical structures (such as veins, tracheas, or arteries) – this is a unique advantage of SLS Sinterit Lisa 3D printing.
．Helping students understand heart diseases in the most intuitive way, plan, and simulate actual surgeries, thereby increasing surgical success rates.
．Assisting in explaining heart conditions to parents or relatives who do not have a medical background.
We are delighted that modern technology continues to advance, giving this little life a chance at a new beginning. Through the continuous innovation of SLS Sinterit Lisa 3D printing technology and its integration into more diverse fields, 3D printing is bound to cross more application boundaries in the future. To learn more about 3D printing, you can refer to other articles on our website, or a simple explanation for beginners; if you have a need for prototype production, we also offer high-quality printing services.
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Original link: https://www.sinterit.com/use-case/how-to-save-a-tiny-life/