Alexander Meining, MD and a team from University of Ulm in Germany invented a 3D printed overtube device with two arms which allows one arm to hold tissue down while the other arm can cut.

3D Systems announced today the release of their Virtual Reality Training module for Laparoscopic Transabdominal Preperitoneal (TAPP) Inguinal Hernia Repair. This new module will be available on on 3D Systems’ LAP Mentor laparoscopic surgical simulator and company’s RobotiX Mentor simulator and will serve for improved medical training and better patient outcomes.

Researchers at Brigham Young University have begun experimenting origami based 3D Printing to create miniature versions surgical tools. These surgical tools will allow surgeons to make such small incisions that no sutures are necessary for post-op healing.

A group of German engineers at the University of Stuttgart led by Dr. Timo Gissibl have developed a process for creating a functional micro-camera lens. The triple lens optical head is only about 100 micrometers wide and can be can be injected into the human body with a standard syringe needle allowing for the internal examination of microscopic structures.

Doctors at King’s College Hospital in London, UK have begun exploring using 3D imaging to perform more complex surgeries laparoscopically. Thoracoscope, a tool with two cameras is used for Endoscopy Assisted Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, however, it has been used for minor surgeries like gall bladder and prostate operations so far.

Some of the medical breakthroughs achieved by 3D Printing Technology include Bone models, Kidney models, fetal models using ultrasound of mother womb, First FDA-approved 3D Printable Pill- Spirtam, Dental SG for dental education, Sutrue-an automated suturing device, open-source designs to download, Brain Tumor models, Live Thyroid injected in mice, Alginate Ear Implants and finally a tiny 3D Printed Medical Camera.

Two professors at Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering, Guillermo Ameer and Cheng Sun, have developed a method of 3D printing patient-specific vascular stents that are both flexible and biodegradable. These 3D printed stents can be pre-loaded with drugs that are released at site of implant, shortening the healing process in the walls of blood vessels. Meanwhile the unique polymer material allows the stent to exercise its mechanical function during the vessel’s initial dilation but slowly dissolve as the re-opened blood vessel recovers.

A group of researchers describe how they designed a novel multi-tool snake-like robot, called the i2 Snake (Intuitive Imaging Sensing Navigated and Kinematically Enhanced robot) for minimally invasive intraluminal surgery. They used a rolling-joint design, a bio-inspired mechanism that consists of two circular surfaces rolling against each other, however, standard rolling joints could slip, resulting in control inaccuracies or a dislocated joint. The researchers used an Mlab 3D printer from Concept Laser to manufacture a prototype of the optimized rolling joint which was then characterized in terms of precision and manipulation forces.

Endocon, a Germany-based medical device company and a GE Additive customer, has started 3D Printing a new device called Acetabular Cup Cutter for surgeons to remove hip replacement cups with cost-effectiveness and product reliability with better surgical experience. Using GE Additive’s Concept Laser Mlab Cusing 100R, which uses direct metal laser melting (DMLM) technology, Endocon 3D prints the blades for its endoCupcut in 17-4 PH stainless steel.

Anatomiz3D Medtech Private Limited, a Mumbai-based medical 3D printing company has announced its partnership with another Indian company, Incredible AM, a part of of Industrial Metal Powders Pvt Ltd in Pune, works with both the medical and engineering industries by providing metal 3D printing services. With the joint venture, the two companies aim to provide 3D Printing designs and plastic 3D printing skills while aiding surgical practices by simplifying and customizing operative planning and procedures in order to improve patient recovery quality, and to developing patient-specific tissue engineering solutions to help lower the need for organ donors in the future.

A team of Researchers in Costa Rica worked on a 3D Printed Medical Device that can be used to Suture skin uniformly and quickly with the scar left behind being aesthetically acceptable. The Class 2 FDA Electronic Medical Device was created using SOLIDWORKS Software based on three functions: Stabilize the skin, Rotate the needle on its axis to join tissue sections and Initiate and finish with the least possible amount of user interference. The first prototype was 3D Printed using Polyjet technology and AISI 316L alloy. Upon further surveys, they modified the final prototype to “improve its ergonomic factor” by adding a holder at the top of the shell for more stability and easier manipulation.