3D PRINTING AND NURSING 1

3D Printing and Nursing

Samuel Lofaro

Contemporary Nursing

Youngstown State University

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Abstract

Three Dimensional printing has and will continue to revolutionize modern medicine as we know

it. It has an impact on many aspects relative to the field of nursing such as, prosthetics, delivery

of chemotherapeutic compounds, anatomical models for educational purposes, medical tools,

food, and implants of bone, skin, and organs to name a few. Bio-printing: or printing objects for

use in living things has grown exponentially in recent years. 3-D printing fills voids that wouldn't

otherwise be filled; it provides organs that otherwise people would otherwise never receive.

Imagine a world where the waiting list for an organ transplant is no more than a few hours, rather

than months or years. This is a direct impact on nursing because it allows all medical

professionals to provide a higher level of care to their patients. Nurses can use 3-D printed

organs and tools to aid patients in ways unavailable in earlier times. Bio-printing has yet to be

perfected though, vascularization of printed organs, complexity of organs, the possibility of

rejection by immune response, the time it takes to print, and the materials used to print are all

obstacles 3-D printing must overcome in order to gain clinical acceptance in the near future.

Although bio-printing isn't commercially accepted today, it is predicted it will be within the next

ten years.
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3D Printing and its Effect on Nursing

Three dimensional printing and bio-printing go hand in hand. Bio-printing is a form of

three dimensional printing that involves the printing of layer upon layer of cells in succession to

create tissue-like structures. Three dimensional printing is a luxury to the medical field, and it

opens many new doors for medical professionals, but it's concept is nothing new. According to

Gilpin (2014), scientists have been artificially recreating and growing cells for many years, but

only pieces of them, with bio-printing, the opportunity to create entire organs is possible. It also

has the potential to drastically lower costs because of the cells and other materials used in the

bio-printing process. Three dimensional printing has been rooted in modern medicine for many

years, but it is now growing at a rate faster than ever. In the next few years, bio-printing and

three dimensional printing are expected to grow immensely. In accordance with research done by

Butler (2014), The dental and medical market for 3D printers is expected to expand by 365% to

$867m (523m) by 2025, according to IDTechEx analysts, even before bio-printing technology

is taken into account. This growth is predicted based on the advancement of bio-printing

leading to cheap and efficient measures of treating patients and the tools used to treat them.

Three dimensional printing is a rapidly growing market with vast potential to change the way us

nurses treat patients.

One would not originally consider medicine as one of the applications of three

dimensionally printed objects, but as time progresses, we are getting closer to the clinical

acceptance of bio-printing. As earlier stated, three dimensional has many applications for the

medical field and nurses. There are currently many different materials that are used in bio-
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printing, flexible plastic, titanium powder, and even cells themselves are all examples. There are

many examples of patients receiving implants made from titanium by a three dimensional

printer, a few given by Butler (2014), are a jaw, a pelvis and several customized hip

replacements from metal. Tools are also being made by printers today. An example provided by

Erickson (2014), is a surgical retractor that can be printed in under ninety minutes for less than

fifty cents, which is less than one-tenth the cost of stainless steel, and is sterile upon completion

of the printing. This would prove to be an immense help in low income areas to aid the

treatment of patients. Other examples provided by Erickson (2014) include; tracheal splints, 3D

replicas of organs to help surgeons prepare for surgery, knee and hip joints, teeth, and fingers.

One more example of an application of 3D printing pertains to the delivery of chemotherapeutic

drugs. According to Louisiana Tech University (2014), they have discovered a way to utilize 3D

printing to implant drugs that the body will break down on its own over time, which avoids

additional surgery and helps to avoid using larger doses that may be toxic to patients.

Three dimensional printing doesn't come without its drawbacks though, as Barnes (2014)

states, a few drawbacks include the identification of projects and products because most

engineers aren't trained for use of direct digital manufacturing (DDM), limited strengths in some

situations compared to other materials, and a third example provided by Gilpin (2014), is the

possible rejection of cells and implants that have been printed. As time goes on, more people will

become trained for 3D printing, dissolving the problem of a shortage of trained engineers. 3D

Printing is still in its infancy. The limited strength of three dimensional printing can also be
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solved as time goes on, as new methods and materials of printing are developed. The risk of the

body rejecting printed cells is not just a concern with 3D printed materials. This risk is present in

all types of organ transplants done today. As earlier stated, three dimensional printing's funding

is expected to grow 365%, this will lead to more resources and growth to address the concerns of

the general population as time advances and 3D printing evolves. In the years to come, 3D

printing may prove to be a crucial staple to medical professionals and the treatment of their

patients.

3D Printing and Bio-printing have a vast array of uses to treat patients and will most likely

will develop many more as research continues in the next few years. Although it has its current

setbacks and challenges to face, it has already proved itself to be beneficial to nurses, patients,

physicians, and surgeons a like. As with any new technology, it can be daunting and a bit

overwhelming, but with the expected growth in funding and research, 3D printing for the

purpose of medicine will prove to revolutionize modern healthcare as we know it, which in turn

will allow nurses to provide greater levels of satisfaction to their patients.

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References

Barnes, M. (2014). 3D printing is revolutionizing the medical world as we know it. Medical

Design Technology, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1614723152?

accountid=12953

Butler, S. (2014, August 24). Medical implants and printable body parts to drive 3D printer

growth. Retrieved October 24, 2014.

Erickson, S. (2014). What 3D printing means for healthcare. Medical Design

Technology :Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1611131977?

accountid=12953

Gilpin, L. (2014, April 23). 3D 'bioprinting': 10 things you should know about how it works.

Retrieved October 24, 2014.

Louisiana Tech University. (2014, August 21). 3-D printers used to create custom medical

implants that deliver drugs, chemo. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 23, 2014 from

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140821090659.htm

Transparency market research: 3D printing in medical applications market to reach USD 965.5

million globally in 2019. (2013).Health & Beauty Close - Up, Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/1429287899?accountid=12953