Reconstructive Surgeries with 3D Printing Technology in India
Advancement in medical technology has proven to elevate health services in India. This improvement has changed the scenario of the healthcare industry. Giant healthcare service providers are ruling the industry with the implications of these medical technologies at their centres. The 3D print reconstructive surgery is the similar offshoot of this advanced medical technology.
3D reconstructive surgery is quite different from plastic surgery. Dr Aashish Chaudhry, Sr. Consultant - Orthopaedics & Joint Replacement, Aakash Super Speciality Hospital said, “This technique came in the late 80s, only in contemporary times the process of 3D printing has started to become prominently available in surgeries. It is done for the restoration and treatment of body structures which are affected aesthetically or functionally by congenital defects, any trauma, infection, developmental abnormalities, tumours, or other concerned diseases.”
Even after the breakthrough in the reconstructive surgery area, yet the market size is very small in India due to lack of awareness in both the surgeons and patients. This surgery is rare in India and the recovery for this complex procedure takes 3-6 months.
Elaborating about the technology, Dr Sunil Choudhary, Sr. Director & Chief of Plastic Surgery, Max Institute of Reconstructive Aesthetic Cleft & Craniofacial Surgery (MIRACLES), Max Superspeciality Hospital said, “3D printed biocompatible implants of Titanium and PEEK material have been successfully used for the skull and other bony reconstructions. Use of 3D printing technology helps in making accurate anatomical patient-specific models of the concerned organ or tissues like a bone make technically complex reconstructive surgeries more accurate, predictable and also help in patient counselling.”
He also added, “3D reconstructive surgery is most helpful in jaw reconstructions in both congenitally poorly developed lower jaw and also in cancer surgeries where the jaw has to be removed. This has enabled plastic surgeons to now accurately construct jaw in its all 3-dimensional glory by sectioning(osteotomies) the leg bone flap (fibula microvascular free flap) and transplanting the crafted bone to make jaw. The transplanted bone is joined with microsurgery to maintain blood circulation.”
Stryker Corporation is a global medical technology firm which is rapidly becoming a leader in the 3D printing industry for titanium implants. They have announced plans to invest approximately $225.8 million for expansion of its R&D facilities. We need such companies in India to reduce the cost as Stryker Corporation is in the Irish city of Cork.
One of the main reasons why such surgeries are not performed in India is its cost but what we need to understand is, it is cheaper from other countries. The treatment costs between $950 USD to $3648.25 USD with a turnover time (duration required for the treatment)of 3-7 days in India while on the contrary, in countries like Germany and France, the minimum cost is $2.5 million with a turnover time of at least 3 months.
This technology might be hope for all those people whose surgeries were not performed due to unavailability of implants along with other factors such as high cost of printers, human resources and other manufacturing hinderances in India. Such reasons will hamper 3D printed implants market growth in the country over the coming years. But 3D printing techniques are not restricted to the orthopaedic area only. Plenty of research has been going on. 3D printers for skin is an area that can bring change in this industry. It can be used for patients with skin burn or skin loss, research in our country is going on to use stem cells and produce tendons, ligaments, cartilage as well.
