Here’s a feel good story about a 3D-printed heart that is sure to start your day off right!
Mina Khan is a seemingly normal two-year old. Except for the fact that a 3D-printed heart saved her life!
The young girl was born with a hole between her ventricles, a part of the heart that helps pump and circulate the blood to both her heart and lungs. This condition made it a struggle for her to survive, let alone lead a normal life.
When Mina was born, her heart was so deformed that even the doctors said that it couldn’t be repaired. The hole in her heart left Mina extremely tired, sick and unable to put on weight.
However, thanks to a 3D-printed heart, Mina was able to get the help that she needed.
Above is a picture of Mina Khan and her mother from the Daily Mail UK.
Defect and all, doctors at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London were able to create an exact copy of Mina’s small heart. Additionally, the skilled team was able to perfect the complicated procedure that was needed to help the little girl.
With the help of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computerized tomography scans, Mina’s surgeons were able to design a bespoke patch for the hole and identify and determine how it would need to be stitched into place.
The innovation of 3D printing allowed the doctors to create a model, which helped them examine and determine the exact dimensions and position of the hole in Mina’s heart. This practice gave the doctors a better understanding of how to conduct the procedure.
This is not the first time that a 3D-printed heart saved someone’s life. In fact, surgeons at a New York hospital created a 3D-printed heart that saved a two-week-old baby’s life.
Not to mention, a man from Southampton persuaded doctors to let him help create a model of his own kidney that he needed for an operation to remove a kidney stone.
Doctors said that thanks to the 3D-printed kidney, it cut an hour from the two-hour kidney stone removal operation!
This process is currently going through a trial run with 21 other patients.
Although the practice of 3D-printing organs isn’t new, we can honestly say that hearing about life-changing surgeries thanks to 3D printing never gets old!
Copyright Inventionland, 2015
Sources:
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/doctors-save-little-girl-using-3d-printer-heart-10001878.html
Media:
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/01/25/2509A86C00000578-2925771-image-m-40_1422222453738.jpg
