EDEN PRAIRIE, Minnesota, and REHOVOT, Israel — Stratasys Ltd., a leader in polymer 3D printing solutions, today announced that it is sponsoring Visible Heart Laboratories at the University of Minnesota with a donation of Stratasys J750 Digital Anatomy 3D Printers, as well as MakerBot 3D Printers METHOD X and MakerBot SKETCH.
Visible Heart Laboratories is a large research laboratory located at the University of Minnesota Medical School that supports medical research, student and physician training, and medical device product development and testing.
Stratasys Digital Anatomy 3D printers produce anatomical models that mimic the real feel, responsiveness, and biomechanics of human anatomy. Models can be punched, sutured, cut and physically manipulated like real human tissue. These attributes are especially important to the education, research and product development conducted at Visible Heart Laboratories.
During their training, all medical students at the University of Minnesota go through Visible Heart Laboratories to learn about the benefits of 3D printing technology and how anatomical models can help them in their future practice. Visible Heart Laboratories is also committed to providing outreach education in cardiac anatomy and device therapy to students from college to clinical cardiologists.
“Visible Heart Laboratories is committed to educating the next generation of medical device developers and providing them with the capabilities to 3D print prototypes and/or devices placed virtually in real heart tomies, because today these skills are considered essential,” said Dr. Paul IaizzoProfessor Visible Heart Laboratories, University of Minnesota Medical School.
In addition to student training, physicians at M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center use 3D printing technology to educate patients with anatomical models that represent a patient’s actual anatomy and pathology. Anatomical models can reflect a patient’s demographics, comorbidities, or anatomical details, such as plaque buildup in an artery or the presence of tumors. Using these templates, the medical team can easily outline treatment and surgical options with patients, leading to better patient outcomes. 3D printed anatomical models are especially valuable to physicians when preparing complex cases or in pediatric cases where the models can be scaled to a size where it is easier for physicians to examine the body. anatomy. By performing complex surgeries with 3D-printed anatomical models, doctors can determine the best surgical approach for each patient, which can lead to better patient outcomes, reduced surgery time, and cost savings. for hospitals and healthcare facilities.
In addition to educating medical students, patients, and physicians, Visible Heart Laboratories’ 3D printing technology supports medical device research in a variety of coronary medical device applications. 3D printing technology enables physicians, researchers, and medical device product developers to iterate, create, and test existing and new medical devices in anatomical models that mimic real anatomy and pathology.
“We believe that the widespread use of 3D printed anatomical models in the healthcare industry would result in better, more cost-effective patient care and faster time-to-market for new innovations in of medical devices. This sponsorship allows us to support the world-class education and medical device research taking place right here in Minnesota,” said Rich Garrity, President, Americas for Stratasys. “At Stratasys, we recognize the importance of supporting the communities in which we live and work, and we are proud to support the University of Minnesota Visible Heart Laboratories and the work they do.”
Visible Heart Laboratories also houses the University of Minnesota’s Atlas of Human Heart Anatomy, a collection of over 800 human hearts that can be recreated with 3D printing technology for education and testing and development. of medical devices.
“We are grateful for those who have donated their hearts to Visible Heart Laboratories, these donations have enabled the lab to give life to others,” said Dr. Iaizzo. “Mixed reality education using high-resolution 3D printing is having a tremendous impact on our abilities to better educate residents, fellows, medical students, biomedical engineers, and many others.”
To learn more about Visible Heart Laboratories at the University of Minnesota, visit www.vhlab.umn.edu. To learn more about Stratasys solutions for healthcare, visit www.stratasys.com/medical.
