One of the wonders of writing about 3D printing in medicine is that when it comes to medical challenges, you begin to see things like so many medical professionals around the globe today do also: anything is possible. Whether doctors are removing a tumor (or growing one, bioprinting in the lab for study) or adding a 3D printed implant, this new technology is responsible for changing and saving people’s lives around the world—and of all ages, from small babies to seniors.
And while ‘it’s another first’ seems to be something we are getting quite used to saying around here, it’s appropriate again today as a young man has received a 3D printed heel bone in an unprecedented surgery just performed in South Korea. Made through 3D printing titanium with laser technology, doctors were able to implant a perfectly sculpted heel, exemplifying the miracle of what truly patient-specific care can achieve.
