“The
Impact of 3D Printers in Medical Fields”
Peter
Connor Eccleston
George
Mason University
IT-104-005
October
7,2015
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Introduction
With the introduction of 3D printers
into most areas of engineering, there has been a recent interest into applying
this technology into the medical field. Using plastic polymers, 3D printers are
able to replicate different physical objects from scratch. This initially
expensive machine has grown in popularity and decreased in price, allowing for
many to own their own 3D printers to create almost any item they imagine. Recently,[SS5] [D6] [D7] there has been a lot of interest in
applying 3D technology into the medical field. This interest may cause several
positive benefits to come to light.
Utilizing the 3D printer’s ability to quickly replicate
different items, the 3D printers are now being used to create usable organs,
prosthetic limbs, and medical models of the human body. These items are then
used to further develop both scientific research and medical treatments. To
create these organs, researchers are using “…A
material called bio-ink to print living soft tissue, skin and organs. Bio-ink
is composed of living cells in a process developed by Gabor Forgacs, a
biological physicist at the University of Missouri, to grow blood vessels and
cardiac tissue.” (Oliker, 2015, pg. 46-47).
This new discovery opens the doors for major new innovations in the field of medical
research and practice. Additionally, this may also give people in desperate
need of expensive medical procedures a better chance at receiving alternative
treatments.
However, the
application of 3D technology in the medical field also may cause some issues to
arise. The use of 3D printing in the medical field is a new area to work in,
which may result in the improper use of the 3D printer. This misuse may
possibly cause patients the critical time they need. What’s more is that some treatments
using 3D printing technology are too expensive for the average Joe[SS8] [D9]
to be able to use. The open sharing policy for designs of 3D printed objects on
Thingiverse also do not promote very secure blueprints, which may result in the
misuse of said designs.
Potential benefits
The new practice of using 3D printers in
the medical field offers an overwhelming amount of benefits, allowing us to respond to disasters and medical issues more
efficiently and
with much greater
speed. [SS10] [D11] With the heavy price
for hospital prosthetics measuring around $10,000 (Journal of Engineering, 2015, pg. 337), there has been a lot of
research into finding a way to 3D print cheaper prosthetics. This would allow
many poor patients seeking prosthetic implants to get the care they need at a
fraction of the cost it used to be. Currently, doctors are making headway in
creating prosthetic limbs by 3D printing prosthetics using inexpensive materials
in order to cut down on the price of current prosthetics (Heitkamp, 2015, pg.
22-25). This demonstration proves that the application of 3D printing in the medical
field could mean multiple potential benefits that would only help doctors deliver
more efficient and quicker treatments to suffering patients.
Social Issues
While the application of 3D printing technology in the medical
field may yield lifesaving work, there may be some issues regarding the social
outlook on this application of 3D printers. The first problem is how expensive
the 3D printed treatments could be. The invention of Bio-ink, while miraculous,
is still a relatively new invention[SS12] [D13] ,
and while the demand for this product is at an all-time high, the supply of
Bio-ink is low. This high demand causes the use of Bio-ink to be a fairly
expensive procedure (Medical
Buyer, 2015, pg. 1).
This expense lends to the idea that only the rich will benefit from the use of
3D printed treatments.
Additionally, while this invention
is relatively new doctors and scientists have not been able to get a firm grip
on how to use Bio-ink correctly. Accidental misuse of Bio-ink could be time
wasted to patients that desperately need treatment, perhaps causing deaths that
could be avoided and may result in putting patients on waiting lists that
similarly resemble the waiting lists for organ donors. This waiting list slows
down the ability to treat patients in desperate need of treatment and causes
further anger with the upper class, who have the money to pay for the expensive
3D printed treatments and receive treatments much more quickly.
Legal and ethical issues
According
to recent studies by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (2015), they have
shown interest in using 3D printers to create medical supplies to send to impoverished
developing countries (The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 2015, pg. 1).
In other words, the application of the 3D printer in the medical field may also
be put to good use to humanitarian causes like the Red Cross. This new
application of 3D printing technology could lead to giving many improvised
developing countries a hand with meeting the medical demands of their citizens.
However, assuming we release this technology to developing countries, there is
no assurance that this technology will be used to help everyone; especially in
unstable developing countries. The rich could easily hoard the use of 3D printing
treatments for themselves and refuse to hand out 3D printed treatments without
having patients pay high prices.
Additionally, if the
US freely handed out 3D printers to developing countries, it could be seen as a
developed country meddling in the affairs of a developing country. Other
countries may see the offer to help as the US pushing its nose in other
nations’ business, while also causing said country to appear weak and unable to
care for its citizens[SS14] [D15] . What’s more is
that using 3D printers for medical purposes may give criminals the opportunity
to illegally use the 3D printers. These criminals could use this technology to
create medical equipment and sell them illegally on the Black Market. With the
use of the website Thingiverse, criminals could mass produce medical supplies
or maybe even organs (provided they are able to get Bio-ink) and reap a lot of
profit from it. This illegal practice would cause an increase in the amount of
Black Market activity and thus cause an increase in crime rate.
Most
ethically disturbing of all is the notion that 3D printers would have the
ability to create workable organs from Bio-ink. This may cause people to push
the moral boundaries of creating human life without the need to procreate; in
essence, human cloning and experimentation.
This practice would degrade the value of human life and allow others
easy access to the tools needed for illegal human experiments. All it would
take for any person to begin to work on illegal experimentation would be a 3D
printer, bio-ink, and some printed medical equipment.
Security concerns
While
the application of this technology is intended to be used for healing, that is
not all that these machines are capable of. Some concern should be shown for
the use of 3D printers because “customers
have been designing printable 3-D objects and posting their designs on the
company's Thingiverse website.” (Crane,
2013, pg. 8-11). This gives anyone who has access to a 3D printer any amount of
medical resources they wish. Anyone with a 3D printer can use designs on
Thingiverse; the average Joe[SS16] [D17] , criminals, or
doctors, all who have the power to get any item they want in a few moments
time. This openness could be very quickly exploited if the full applications of
this technology fell into the wrong hands.
In
all actuality, if criminals got their hands on a 3D printer, there is almost
nothing that could stop them from exploiting any designs placed on Thingiverse.
This fact makes the security of 3D printed designs for medical treatments null
and void, due to the easy access the average joe has with any design on
Thingiverse.
Conclusion
Through the application of 3D printing
technology in the medical field great benefits can be achieved. Doctors can use
3D printing technology to save lives, create treatments specially created for a
patient’s body, give patients greater access to life saving treatments, create
more medical supplies with greater speed, and help humanitarian efforts. [SS18] [D19] However, the introduction of this new
application of 3D printing technology also brings challenges, alongside any
possible benefits reaped in the medical field. The use of 3D printing in the
medical field is a new area to work in, which may result in the improper use of
a 3D printer. This delay could possibly cause patients to be put on a waitlist
for treatments. Treatments using 3D printing technology are proving too
expensive for the average Joe[SS20] [D21] to be able to use. The open sharing
policy of 3D printing designs also causes the designs to be very insecure and
may allow the wrong people to get their hands on sensitive information. Most
inhibiting is the expense to use 3D printers in the medical field, which will
cripple any chance of using 3D printers in the medical field.
Despite these
setbacks, whatever impact that 3D printers have on the medical field are bound
to be life altering, no matter what kind of negative changes are brought about.
Ultimately, the new application of 3D printing technology will only serve to
advance our knowledge and capabilities in the medical field. As long as 3D
printers continue to grow in popularity and use, there may still yet be hope of
applying 3D printing technology to the medical field and reaping the benefits
that come with it.
Oliker,
A. (2015). 3d Printing: Revolutionizing Medicine. Americas Quarterly, 9(2),
46–47. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1697986533/abstract on
September 25, 2015
This source was created in 2015, making the information
current. This source discusses further the procedures involved in applying 3D
printing technology to the medical field and further discusses the potential
benefits of doing so. This source was printed by the cofounder[SS24] [D25] of Biodigital Incorporated[SS26] [D27] , making his information fairly accurate. The authority of
this source comes from the knowledge of the author who is cofounder and chief
innovation officer of Biodigital Incorporated[SS28] [D29] . The purpose[SS30] [D31] of this article is to inform and persuade the audience of
the benefits of using 3D technology in the medical field.
Changing Technologies, Inc.; CHGT:
Healthcare and Medical Industries a Growing Market for 3D Printing. (2015). Journal
of Engineering, 337. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1712914719?accountid=14541
on September 25, 2015.
This
trade journal of Engineering was published September 21, 2015. This source is
relevant because it further illustrates the benefits using 3D printers in the
medical field has had. The authority of this source is from the Journal of
Engineering. This journal gives several pieces of evidence from the UK as well
as the United States, making the information offered quite reliable. The purpose
of this journal is to inform its audience the benefits being reaped from using
3D technology.
3D Printing May Help Improve Health
Care in Developing Countries. (2015, July 7). Targeted News Service.
Washington, D.C., United States. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1697050989/citation on September
25, 2015.
This
news release was released this year on July 7th, 2015; therefore[SS32] , this information
is current enough to include as a resource. This source is relevant for my
topic as it explains the benefit that using 3D printers in medical fields would
have concerning health care, a very large social issue. The authority of this
source is The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, making this source
legitimate because of their expertise in the medical field and their knowledge
of the application of this technology. This source lists quite a lot of
evidence to suggest that their claims are supported thoroughly. The main purpose of this
source is to inform, judging from the nature of this article being a news
release to Washington DC.
3D Printing Medical Devices Market
to Grow at a High Rate. (2015). Medical Buyer. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1712161093/abstract on
October 6, 2015
This article
was released this year; therefore, the information is current enough to include
as a resource. This source is relevant for my topic because it discusses the
financial hurtle of using 3D printers in the Medical Field. The authority of
this source is the Medical Buyer
because with a medical background they have enough information to know what
they are discussing. This source lists Markets
and Markets, a financial site, as part of their evidence enough to validate
their claim. The main purpose of this scholarly journal is to inform.
Heitkamp, K. L. (2015, February).
COMING SOON TO A HOSPITAL NEAR YOU! 3D printing lands a leading role in
medicine. Odyssey, 24(2), 22–25.Retrieved
from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1655242910?accountid=14541 on October 6, 2015
This
article was released this year making the information current enough to be
employed in my paper. This source is relevant for my topic because it discusses
how 3D printing has helped the medical world in terms of prosthetics. The
authority of this paper is the Odyssey
Magazine. The article gives firsthand accounts of the process of using 3D
printing technology in prosthetics from Dr. Aleksander Skardal, who has been
working on this process for years, which validates much of the article’s
claims. The main purpose of this article is to inform.
Crane, C. (2013, March 4). Dream It
Print It. Science World, 69(9), 8–11. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1315950238?accountid=14541 on October 6, 2015
This article[SS34] was released two
years ago, making this article current enough to use for my research paper.
This source is relevant to my topic because it discusses the open practices of
3D printing designs on Thingiverse. The
authority of this article is a science magazine known as Science World, a science magazine that is fairly trustworthy. Seeing
as the article directly quotes Pettis, the man in charge of Thingiverse, the
evidence they give is considered pretty accurate. The main purpose of this
article is to inform.
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