Heart problems among children are one of the most difficult cases that surgeons have to deal with. The common reason for this is that the size of the heart is tiny which makes it difficult to conduct the operation. However, doctors from St. Thomas Medical Hospital in London used 3D printing technology to help pediatric patients with heart problems.

3D printing specialists, Gerald Geli, and Professor David Anderson created a medical innovation that can likely save many lives of patients suffering from pediatric heart diseases. Dubbed as the Gore-Tex patch, this innovation was first tested on a 2-year old patient Mina Khan who was born with a hole located between the walls of the chambers of her heart. The doctors who looked into her condition were hesitant to conduct the surgery because of the condition and status of the patient’s heart.

Thus, they turned to 3D printing to streamline their procedure in treating the patient. To create the 3D model of the patient’s heart, the medical team attending the patient did a CT and MRI scan of the patient’s heart to find out the real situation of her heart. The model was then printed using a 3D printer to help surgeons map out how they are going to patch the heart. Doctors now have the advantage on how they should approach the operation as quickly and as efficiently as possible with minimal risk to the patient.

3D printing technology has proven its usefulness in the field of medical science and it will not be long when medical professionals all over the world will rely on it to treat patients suffering from different kinds of ailments.