Interview with an Indian Doctor who saves lives by using 3d printed Models of Body Parts.

Interview with an Indian Doctor 

In nothing do men more nearly approach the gods than in giving health to men. ~Cicero

Recently I read an article about an Indian Doctor who saves lives by using 3d printed models of his patients body parts using it as a tool for medical simulation. I was pretty excited to speak to the doctor and know more about his adventure with 3d printing. To my surprise Dr. Bagaria was extremely forthcoming and obliged me with an interview.  IF you need any kind of help from Dr Bagaria you can connect with him using his site www.3dpost.in

Q. Dr please tell us more about you and your adventures with 3d printing ?

Response: I have been working with this technology since last 8 years. In fact it was a chance meeting with an Engineer from the local engineering college VNIT that triggered my interest in the technology. Initially we built a medical model using rapid prototyping for a patient who had a fall from height and had broken his pelvis bone. The model was a bit crude but helped us immensely during the surgery.

We followed our initial tryst with technology with another interesting case of 8 year old girl who could not open her mouth because of a condition called as TMJ ankylosis. The 3D printed helped us design the country’s first temporo-mandibular joint which was successfully implanted in the kid. It was due to this operation that the child who was so far only on liquid and semi solid foods in her life could taste solid food.

There was no looking back after the initial success with these two surgery. We coined a new term for these 3D printed structures calling them – 3D Patient Optimised Surgical Tools (3D POST). These 3D Post were medical models, instruments and even implants that were used during a surgical procedure. With use of 3D POST we have now performed more than 25 surgeries with surgeons from all across the country.

Q. How has 3d printing helped patients ?

Response: The 3D POST have been used for various purposes. As a medical model they have shown to reduce the surgical time, blood loss and anesthesia drug requirement. It allows Surgeon to simulate the surgery in a virtual environment and also these can be used as intraoperative reference for flawless execution.

3D POST have also been used to design or even print the implants that can be used for complex surgery such as total hip replacement and cranioplasty.

 Q. Is 3d printing an economical option for doctors all across India to accept?

Response: On the face of it, 3D POST appears to increase the cost of the surgery, however given the fact that the surgical time is reduced and so is the blood loss and anesthesia requirement, I belive that the cost is offset and actually use is economical when looked upon in a holistic manner.

 Q. What 3d printing technology is used to make medical simulation models ?

Response: For medical simulation we use additive manufacturing technology where in the CT axial images are recreated in a layered fashion.

 Q. 

If 3d printing can change the way doctors treat patients what is stopping other doctors from accepting it ?

Response: As is with any new technology there is a certain lag period before universal acceptance sets in. It was same when the MRI scanning or CT scanning was introduced. There are apprehensions about the cost, the time taken and the actual translational benefits. With more wide spread use the apprehensions will be allayed and over time it will become a part of the standard care protocol.

Q. What’s your call on the future of the use of 3d printing in the medical field ?

Response: I believe that the future is very bright for the technology. There are lot of innovations waiting to happen and newer areas of application will soon emerge. With interdisciplinary collaborations between the surgeons, engineers and software developers we can expect some exciting development in coming

Dr Vaibhav Bagaria is a specialist joint replacement & sports injury surgeon practicing in Nagpur and NCR Delhi. Dr Bagaria having worked with latest technologies at different centers of excellence in the world in last 12 years of his orthopedic career is a perfect mix of youth and experience. He has a special interest in Hip and Knee replacement procedures. He has extensive training in hip and knee revision procedures, hip resurfacing and uni-condylar knee replacements. He is well versed with latest technology in the field especially Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS), Computer Navigated Surgery (CAS) and patient specific instrumentation (PSI). On sports injury front, his forte is in managing injuries of elite athletes and general population in particular in performing ACL reconstructions, arthroscopy of Knee, ankle & shoulder. He has been using 3D printing since last 7 years ( probably one of the first few teams in the world). So far we have done close to 20 successful surgical cases using the same techniques.