A few months ago, a newborn baby was operated on for a complicated heart defect at SUS in Lund. To help them, the doctors then had a 3D-printed copy of the child's heart.

The newborn baby had a congenital heart defect.

- It was an unusual but well-known heart defect and something we can operate on. This was of course facilitated by the fact that we could first look at the 3D model of the heart, says Erik Hedström, specialist doctor and radiologist in Lund.

The 3D model saved time 

Skåne University Hospital is the only hospital in northern Europe where doctors themselves can order models and use the technology on a daily basis.

- With the 3D-printed heart, the surgery team got a clear idea of ​​what it would look like in the heart once they had surgery. This increased safety and saved time during the operation. In cardiac surgery, every minute is important, says Einar Heiberg, researcher in clinical physiology at SUS in Lund.

3D-printed plastic copies of organs make surgeons better prepared.

- You do not have to make a decision when you open the chest, states Erik Hedström, specialist doctor and radiologist.

The models can also have a pedagogical value because the staff can more easily show which procedures are to be performed on the patients.

The goal is to print implants

At present, the 3D department in Lund prints models two to three times a week. Einar Heiberg expects that the business will grow to print at least two models from patients per day.

- The goal is that in the future we will be able to print individually adapted implants that can be operated into the body. It would enable surgical procedures that are not possible today. It would also help to make operations safer and, in the long run, a cheaper care chain, says Einar Heiberg.

-After studying a printed 3D model in advance, the surgeon saves valuable time during the operation, says pediatric radiologist Erik Hedström at Skåne University Hospital in Lund. Photo: Johan Dernelius