Practice makes perfect

UW Cardiologist Mark Reisman, M.D., and researcher Dmitry Levin are providing a new approach to practicing surgical procedures via 3D printing. The team utilizes 3D printers to build physical models of patients’ hearts, allowing doctors to fully examine the exact 1:1 replica of one’s heart and practice catheter procedures prior to operating on the patient. International news organization Reuters visited the labs here at UW Medicine, and watched the team in action, or rather practice.

“As opposed to doing these procedures and engaging the various valves for the first time when with a patient, I could actually practice that outside the patient” says Dr. Reisman. By going through the steps with the 3D model, this new method of practicing will ensure a “safer, and faster” procedure. The ability to physically hold, interact with, and manipulate the heart models without the use of catheters also helps the surgical team understand the context and anatomy of their work area.

The time it takes to print out one of the hearts is an eye opener as well, easily seen as one of the main advantages as they are able to print data right into the hands of doctors quicker than any standard methods currently in place. “The time between when I get the data set and when I deliver the model can be cut down tremendously into hours instead of days” says Levin. Those days of data transferring saved can equate to more hours spent practicing, ultimately leading to saving lives.

For more, visit Reuters to view the full video segment and story.