University of Gdansk 3D printing in medicine
The Medical University of Gdańsk has launched a 3D Printing in Medicine elective course off the back of research carried out by in-house scientists.
It is believed to be the first course of its kind in Poland and will be led by specialists who spent three years exploring the application of 3D printing for paediatric cardiology models. Desktop 3D printing vendor Zortrax will supply the university with hardware and has delivered an introductory lecture to 4th, 5th and 6th year students of the university’s Polish and English divisions of the Faculty of Medicine.
Zortrax is to continue assisting the university as it delivers the course, which is aiming to give a broad view of the capabilities of 3D printing within their field and develop practical skills to allow students to build medical models. Theory sessions will precede practical sessions, whereby students will build models, conduct preliminary analysis under teacher supervision, and prepare them for printing. The students will also be encouraged to discuss the most frequently encountered issues during the modelling process.
“Only a few leading medical universities in the world are engaged in popularising this innovation. This is because the process of creating models, on account of the complexity involved, is still technically difficult, while outsourcing it to the very few third party service providers that have the appropriate hardware, software and skills is very costly,” commented Joanna Kwiatkowska, Head of the Department and Clinic of Paediatric Cardiology and Congenial Heart Defects at the Medical University of Gdańsk.
“3D printing offers a host of opportunities to physicians, not only in cardiology. Starting with the creation of patient-specific anatomical models, the needed tools, educational aids and personalised implants, models created by using 3D printing make it possible to enhance the efficacy and safety of medical procedures. They also fulfil an educational function with regard to future physicians and patients who can gain a better grasp of the procedure being planned,” added Jacek Krywko, a science and technology writer working with Zortrax. “We at Zortrax are elated to collaborate with the Medical University of Gdańsk to educate future generations of physicians and acquaint them with the cutting-edge solutions involving the utilisation of 3D printing in medicine.”
