Proposal
Original Work
Original Work Assessment/ Set-up & Completion Summary
Original Work Proposal
Name: Milind Renjit
Date: 10/11/18
Subject: The Future of Cardiac Surgery
Teacher: Mrs. Brittain
Part One:
The original work is something that has been in development in the minds of all ISM students from the very moment they have been accepted into the program. Whether we realize it or not, all these ideas have the potential to be highly impactful to the students, the general public, and even the mentors. Ultimately that is the goal for all ISM students, which is to gain some form of knowledge while also helping educate others. This is the concept that dictated my original work.
My plan for the original work is to formulate an answer to the question, what are the qualities that patient's desire their ideal surgeon to possess? This is something that all surgeons and physicians, as a whole, are very meticulous about. These professionals all want one thing, to serve their patients to the best of their ability. Regardless, from the moment a person becomes a patient to the day they are discharged; all people demand the best possible care they can receive. Through this original work, my final goal is to construct a survey and then digest the data so I can discuss the findings with my mentor; and other doctors if that is possible. Because even an experienced surgeon, with many years under his or her belt, can possibly identify holes in their career that they could fill in to make themselves a more accommodating professional. With the cardiothoracic surgeon that I plan on being mentored by, I will most likely have the ability to interact with his or her patients throughout the year. And due to that one privilege, I will develop a survey and request the patients to fill out the survey to the best of their ability. Identifying these desired qualities can greatly help me understand what are the qualities that I have to embody to become successful in the field of Cardiothoracic surgery, but it can also be a wake-up call to some professionals in the field.
Part Two:
The way I plan on conducting and utilizing this survey is through research, administration, and analyzation of the data I collect. I will construct the questions and qualities in my survey by researching the definitive qualities that all doctors possess and specifically the qualities surgeons possess. Not only will I understand good qualities, but I will also deeply understand the bad qualities that are employed by doctors and surgeons. With the information, I gather I will construct the survey. At the beginning of the survey, I will request the gender, age, and ethnicity of each surveyor. This can possibly show how different people from different walks of life will have varying needs compared to one another. When I make the questions I am going to be sure to ask about the good qualities and bad qualities but without any designation between the two. This will give a more genuine answer from the patient with no earlier connotation dividing the good from the bad. Alongside each answer, I will request a brief explanation as to why the patient chooses the answer that they did. This will allow the surveyors the opportunity to express why the quality they choose is valuable to them and why the qualities they don’t choose are somethings they would avoid. I plan on administering the survey through digital methods to make it as easy as possible for the patients taking the survey and data recording. Then I will get my mentor to proofread the survey and make any alterations that must be done before the survey is provided to the patients. Then during the days when my mentor does his or her rounds, I will accompany them and travel from patient to patient requesting participation in the survey. This is done so they will be more inclined to do the survey with both my mentor and me there to give approval of its validity and give a thorough explanation as to why it is being conducted. After introducing this to all of my mentor's patients, I will attempt to spread the survey throughout the hospital too as many doctors as I can. This is so that their patients may also fill out the survey, and increase the dating pool. Once I have gotten as many results as I can get from the hospital that my mentor works at I will begin the analysis process. During my analysis, I will make a very detailed bar graph and pie chart with all the data. Then I will split all the data into the separate demographics and categories to have all the data I possibly can. Finally, I will familiarize myself with the results, and then I will present the data to my mentor. If possible I would also like to present to as many doctors and surgeons as I can. My last step is to present this to all the people that I meet within the ISM Winter showcase. This is how I plan on achieving the goal of educating myself, my mentor, other doctors, and regular everyday people.
Part Three:
I will be required to use my networking skills heavily during my original work. Meeting a multitude of patients and being able to make them feel comfortable while I talk is something that will be using the whole time, so networking will be a huge part of this project. I will also need to use my presentation skills. This will be used when I present my data to my mentor and other physicians, as well as at the winter showcase. This will be another massive part of the project because my presentational skills have to be elite if I am to educate the types of people that I am aiming to educate. Lastly, I will need to use the knowledge I obtain from the research I do prior to constructing the survey. This is the most important aspect of the original work due to the fact that without the information I learn the actual survey cannot be made. The survey is the most critical part of the original work and without it, there is no meaning and result to the project. The information I obtain must also be detailed and trustworthy information. If the information is false or is not detailed it will cause me to have weak questions on the survey, which will invalidate the results of the survey. This will not help anyone who attempts to educate themselves with the information because it is either skewed or false. Making all the hard work worth nothing substantial with little to no benefits.
At the end of the day, my main goal is to educate. I want to educate myself, my mentor, other doctors, surgical patients, regular patients, everyday people, children, etc. We can all learn what should be expected out of doctors and what people really seem to value from the people that provide them medical care all throughout their lives. This will ultimately help us, as a society, hold all doctors to a higher standard. This will in turn push doctors to become better in whatever way that will enable them to be better practicing physicians. Overall, this will further increase in the quality of care for all parties involved in health care and achieves the goal of the ISM original work. Through the education of myself and others, I will fulfill the purpose of the original work and set myself on the path to making a polished final product.
A Material to Redefine 3D Printed Heart Models in Cardiothoracic Surgery
Objective
The goal of this original work is to identify the characteristics of a disruptivel that can be used in three dimensional printed hearts in cardiothoracic surgery. These models have been used to practice the surgery on a replica of a specific organ of patients with complications or unique features prior to a surgery. This is so that surgeons are able to minimize the probability of error by practicing their course of action multiple times before conducting the actual surgery.
What is 3D Printing?
In its most fundamental definition, three-dimensional printing is the conversion of a digital file into a physical object. However, this is more extensive than meets the eye. The whole process begins with a 3-dimensional digital file. Through software like Blender, Autodesk 123D, Cura, OpenSCAD, 3D Slash, Slic3r, DesignSpark Mechanical, CATIA, etc, anyone from a novice to highly trained graphic designers can create a design. (Molina) These designs are then exported from a Computer Aided Design (CAD) to either an OBJ, STL, X3D, or VRML file. These are all files that can be interpreted by the vast majority of 3D printers with a few exceptions that are less commonly used. What is so special about these file formats is that they all split apart the design that is made into layers. This is the only way the printer can interpret how to build the products from beginning to end because it is made layer by layer in a process called additive manufacturing. Once the export is complete, the file must be sent to the printer and the physical printing process will commence. (Wang) Depending on the type of product a person is wishing to create, the printer can be fitted with a material to suit its purpose called the filament. This is the material that actually makes up the solid object. If the final product needs to be hard it can use metal or plastic. If the product needs to be malleable it can use rubbers or soft plastics. If the product even needs to be living, like organs or skin tissue, it can be made using the cells necessary for the final product to survive within its new environment. (Wang) When being made this material is heated to a temperature that ensures melting of the compound into a liquid, but it is just hot enough that once it hits the plate of the printer it dries into a solid. The filament is then fed through a cable into the heating element called the extrude. This is where the filaments are melted and are ready to be used. Once it has been melted, the filament is injected through a heated precision trip onto the print plate. Then through additive manufacturing, the product will be made. In some 3D printers, there are also cooling fans that will help maintain optimal operating temperatures and/or help dry the melted filament. Depending on the complexity and size of the final product it can take anywhere from a few minutes, a few hours, or even days to complete. However, the beauty of this technology is the ability to create almost anything with very high tolerances very inexpensively. (Yaffee) When compared to other forms like subtractive manufacturing, where pieces are carved away from a block of material to create the product, which is more expensive and take more time to complete
How is 3D Printing Implemented in Medicine?
With today's technology, there is a limited scope for the implementation of 3D printing in medicine. The most extensive use of the technology has been the replacement of the limbs and the modeling of organs for the purpose of practicing surgeries for patients with unique conditions. (Hardesty) However, these limited uses have shown to be revolutionary in the industry.
Over the last few years, 3D printed limbs have been life-changing for thousands of amputees all around the world. Prior to the adoption of 3D printing by the prosthetic industry, the costs of getting a prosthetic limb was astronomically high. Ranging anywhere from a relatively manageable $5,000, all the way up to $50,000. (Molina) However, now due to 3D printing becoming a mainstream technology, the cost has fallen. Now it is possible to build a prosthetic leg for below $100. All it takes is a scan of the amputated area for fitting purposes and the time necessary for the limb to be made. Now if a person is in need of a prosthetic, they can have a scan done and a leg attached in a matter of hours. The best part is that if a piece of the limb break or there is a malfunction, a new piece or a whole new limb can be made in a short amount of time. This makes the prosthetic tailored to the user's preferences, and can even have their own touch implemented if they so choose.
Another big use of 3D printing today is the modeling of human organs for practicing surgeries. In previous years the only insight a surgeon had into the physical look of a patient's surgery site, prior to the surgery, is through either an X-Ray or an MRI. (Pierce) This meant that the first time they actually see the part of the body they are operating on is once they cut into the patient. 3D printing is now allowing surgeons the ability to actually see, hold, and even operate on the patient prior to the first cut. (Molina) The process begins by getting a patient that has some sort of complication, such as an enlarged tumor or any irregular condition. Once the decision is reached on the course of action and the type of surgery, the surgeon can order an MRI to be run on the patient. This MRI will construct an extremely detailed reading of the patient's organ. This reading can then be converted into any of the needed 3D print capable files and then printed. (Hardesty) Depending on the intended purpose of the model, a surgeon can decide to use a variety of materials. If the purpose was to simply model the organ to get a better view, all that is needs is the regular hard filament used for 3D printing. On the other hand, if there is any intention of practicing surgery on the model there will need to be the use a malleable or skin-like material. This material is usually a silicon-based material with blends of liquid suspensions, gelatinous substances, elastomers, epoxy resins, metals, or textiles. (Molina) This is actually the most common application of the technology. It has been proven to increase the success rates of highly complex or unique surgeries. This is because any amount of practice allows the surgeon to be more familiar with the part of the body he or she is going to operate on. And with the 3D printed organ being a carbon copy of the organ made with materials that closely replicate the feeling of the actual skin, this method of using the technology allows for the best preparation possible for surgeons prior to the actual surgery. (Newmarker) Especially when the surgery involves an abnormality the extra practice can quite literally be the difference between life and death.
Current Usage of 3D Printing in Cardiothoracic Surgery
The shocking thing to learn was the current lacking of 3D printing use in Cardiothoracic Surgery, with only being used throughout the field for replication and practice purposes. The popularity of less invasive procedures are increasing, with open heart surgeries declining, so in those situations, the uses of 3D models are very crucial to have the most success in a surgery with a high-risk factor. (Yaffee) Interestingly, with all the new technology being introduced and perfected, the ability to use 3D printed organs to either replace part or all of an organ during Cardiothoracic Surgery is also becoming a high possibility in the future. (Shir) Especially since this method has been used in other cases from bones to plastic surgery, the technology is bound to trickle down to the uses of cardiothoracic surgery. (Hardesty)
Even though the current uses of 3D printing is very limited in the field of cardiothoracic surgery, there is growth being shown in the ability to get costs reduced in the process of making these 3D models. In retrospect, the actual construction of a 3D printed object is relatively inexpensive. A few thousand dollars will provide an extremely capable 3D printer, and it will, over time, recoup the cost in terms of the savings that will be made in comparison to having parts made through other modes; however, the real costs show up through the scanning and programs used. (Pierce) The scanning process can be done through a Magnetic resonance imaging or an MRI. An MRI uses strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves to generate images of the organs in the body. Another process that can be used, but is less efficient, is a Computed Tomographic Scanning or a CAT scan, which is a procedure that uses a computer linked to an x-ray machine to make a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body. (Shir) These pictures are taken from various angles and are spliced together to create a 3D view of tissues and organs. (Rascouët-Paz) This process is relatively modified to take a complete picture of the heart and remodel it. Given the relative newness of these technologies use in 3D printed organs there are complications in the process which can rise up the cost and difficulty of making these pre-operation practice organs.
The most interesting aspect is the usage of the modeled hearts that are made. Due to the material used to construct the model hearts, doctors can quite literally perform the whole surgery on the mock heart. (Newmarker) Surgeons can cut into, replace, even close up the heart, and can even inspect and get inspected on the quality of their mock operation. Having the ability to be able to fully practice the surgery before the actual open heart surgery made the process smoother than ever before. The prior practice allowed for less unpredicted complications in the surgery, better recovery, and no mortalities in the surgeries. (Pierce) This creates an interesting proposition for all surgeons practicing today. Is it worth the time and money it may take to create a mock operation if it means having better results and confidence for the surgeon and the patient? Also if this is something that is commonly known in the medical industry, why isn't it used more often?
Problems with Current Material
The current material used to construct the model hearts are made of a blend of silicon-based plastic and liquid suspensions, gelatinous substances, elastomers, epoxy resins, metals, or textiles. As far as today's technology allows this is the best material that science can offer to replicate human skin. This material has the elasticity, thickness, and texture of genuine human skin. (Brusco)Amazingly, this formula can even be altered to replicate different ages of skin. For example, if the goal is to replicate an older individuals skin, the material can have more of an abundance of liquid suspensions. (Brusco) This will allow for the skin to have a looser elastically, thinner makeup, and wrinkly feel. This process can be reversed if there is a need or the skin of a middle-aged man with stronger skin, but this time containing more metals or textile.
However, there is room for improvement. The biggest problem with the material is its durability. Once a surgeon uses the model, it has to be disposed of and a new print will have to be made if there is more practice needed. (Hermsen) This results in more materials being wasted and worst of all there will be a huge waste of time and resources. In the medical field, this could be detrimental because time is not only money, but it is also a factor that could decide someone's life. As it was mentioned earlier time is the difference between life and death in the medical field, and if a surgeon doesn't have the ability to practice as many times as they would like, due to having to print multiple copies of the organ, that is valuable time that could be used to perfect the surgical plan. This could lead to mistakes during the actual surgery that could result in a casualty from something that is so avoidable.
The need for a new print every time will also waste countless resources that can be used for other purposes. (Rascouët-Paz) This primarily concerns the wasting of money on the 3D printing material. Even though the actual cost for a single 3D printed model is relatively inexpensive, having to print numerous copies of the same models for a multitude of different patients will eventually add up. (Hermsen) Not to mention the costs in terms of electricity usage and with accounting for the wear and tear that will be put on the components of the printed. If this current trend of printing continues there will be a huge loss of money for the hospitals that employ the method and this can in turn cause hospitals that are considering implementing the technology to back down.
The Solution
The solution to this problem is to fill the filament with a liquid substance that turns into a solid when it comes into contact water and air. This liquid would have to possess adhesive like properties as the liquid will have to become a strong bond once it is soaked in water and dried. However, it cannot just be solid. The dried material has to be rubbery and has a level of elasticity to match the filament used in 3D printed hearts. Imagine that a surgeon completes a practice surgery on the model heart and there are multiple incisions on the organ. This will cause the liquid to seep out the incision sites and rejoin the two separate pieces. Once all the incisions are covered with the liquid, the organ will have to be soaked in water. This is because of the liquids hydrophilic characteristic. Meaning that the liquid will absorb the water to expand around the whole incision. Once this process is done the expanded liquid will dry and become a flexible solid. This will give the surgeon a similar feeling to having just the silicon-based material, but without the use of another model.
Benefits
The advantages of using this new material in 3D printed model hearts are greatly superior to that of what was possible previously. This addition will allow for the overall reduction of cost in the process of creating the 3D printed hearts. Due to the material allowing for 2 to 3 more uses from a single model, there will instantly be at least a fifty percent reduction in cost. This is pertaining only to the savings in cost from the printing process. In the long run, there more money saved due to less usage of the printer, which will allow for reduced wear and tear on the components and a reduced use of electricity. (Qiu) Because the timeline of 3D printing one model can span more numerous hours, this will allow for a huge reduction in electricity bills over time and a longer lifespan for the printer itself.
Drawbacks
On the other hand, there is one huge issue which might make the use of such a material impractical. Due to there being a new substance that would have to be manufactured to match the requirements of what has been described above, there will be an immense price premium for the purchasing of the filament by hospitals. Even though similar compounds are present in the glue and adhesive industry there will be thousands or even millions of dollars that will have to be spent to research and perfect this material. Not to mention the time and money that it will take to thoroughly test and R&D the substance for use in the medical field. (Qiu) All this will combine to drive up the price of this filament for 3D printing. The current material is already at a price premium compared to the conventional material used in everyday prints, but the addition of this material will allow the price to be even higher than the previous price premium. However, the price will drop with economies of scale. The amazing thing about the day and age we live in today is that technology is evolving at a rate faster than ever before. (Qiu) This means that's over time the price for manufacturing will drop and the material will continue to be refined. This, in turn, means there will be a reduction in cost to buy for hospitals. So in the beginning, there might be a substantial price premium that might make the benefits of its use relatively negligible, but over time the costs will drop and this technology will only help save money and lives.
Conclusions
The implementation of this theoretical material into the current filament used to construct models of patient hearts can help save hospitals money, time, and most importantly save lives. Given that the current material used to make model hearts to practice surgeries is an amazing replication of actual human skin, there is not much of an innovation needed on that actual material. It simulates the elasticity, thickness, and texture of human skin to the best degree that modern science can achieve. (Wiltz) However, the only glaring issue with the current material is its durability. Once a model has been cut or practiced upon, it is ruined and can not be used again for practice. This warrants the need for another model to be made if the surgeon desires more practice prior to the actual surgery. Over time this becomes a substantial expense for hospitals in the form of filament cost, electrical cost, wear and tear on the printer, and worst of it wastes a lot of time. This is the time that can be spent by the surgeon practicing to better familiarize themselves with the course of action. And if there is a lack of practice this can lead to mistakes made in the actual surgery that could easily be avoided. The solution to this is the use of a filament filled with a liquid substance that turns into a solid when exposed to water and air. The dried material will be rubbery and has a level of elasticity that matches the filament used in 3D printed hearts. This will allow for a single heart model to be used 2 or even 3 times before a new print will have to be made. Over a span of time money will be saved due to the reduced usage of the printer, which will lead to reduced wear and tear on the components of the printer and a reduced use of electricity. Hopeful the creation and implementation of such a material can be extremely revolutionary for medicine as a whole, the field of cardiothoracic surgery, the hospitals that adopt the technology, and the patients that the 3D printing technology is meaning to help. Since the first attempt of humans to heal themselves there have been huge leaps and bounds were made to allow the medicine to be what it is today. This technology, even though it is a small innovation, will advance medicine further and as it is the core value of all medicine it will help save lives.
Work Cited
Brusco, Sam. “Beyond Prototyping: The Promises and Problems of 3D Printing.” Your Online Source for Medical Device Product Information - Medical Product Outsourcing, 11 Aug. 2016, www.mpo-mag.com/issues/2016-11-01/view_features/beyond-prototyping-the-promises-and-problems-of-3d-printing.
“Everything You Need To Know About 3D Printed Hearts.” 3DSourced, HitMag, 19 June 2018, 3dsourced.com/guides/3d-printed-heart/.
Hardesty, Larry, and MIT News Office. “Personalized Heart Models for Surgical Planning.” MIT News, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 17 Sept. 2015, news.mit.edu/2015/3-d-printed-heart-models-surgery-0917.
Joshua L. Hermsen, MD, et al. “Scan, Plan, Print, Practice, Perform: Development and Use of a Patient-Specific 3-Dimensional Printed Model in Adult Cardiac Surgery.” Evolving Technology and Basic Science, Jan. 2017.
Molina, Brett. “This Startup Wants to Create a 3D-Printed Heart.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 21 Feb. 2018, www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2018/02/21/startup-wants-create-3-d-printed-heart/354838002/.
Newmarker, Chris. “3D Printed Organ Models Are Getting Way Better: Here's How.” Medical Design and Outsourcing, WTWH Media, 6 Dec. 2017, www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com/3d-printed-organ-models-getting-better/.
Pierce, Alan. “Improving Surgery with 3D Printed Practice Organs.” ProQuest, Technology Today, Feb. 2017, search.proquest.com/openview/c625283b686e77838d8e4c7e199382d9/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=182
Qiu, Kaiyan, et al. “3D Printed Organ Models for Surgical Applications.” Annual Reviews, Annual Review of Analytical Chemistry, 28 Mar. 2018, www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev-anchem-061417-125935.
Rascouët-Paz, Anna. “Making Realistic 3D Printed Organs to Plan Surgery.” Annual Reviews News, Annual Reviews, 28 Mar. 2018, annualreviewsnews.org/2018/03/28/making-realistic-3d-printed-organs-to-plan-surgery/.
Shir, Fred. “What Materials Are Used in 3D Bioprinting?” Quora, Quora, 13 Dec. 2017, www.quora.com/What-materials-are-used-in-3D-bioprinting.
Wang, Xiaohong, et al. “3D Bioprinting Technologies for Hard Tissue and Organ Engineering.” MDPI, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 27 Sept. 2016, www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/9/10/802/htm.
Wiltz, Chris. “Stratasys Mimics Real Organs With 3D-Printed Models.” Design News, UMB PLC Company, 2 Feb. 2018, www.designnews.com/content/stratasys-mimics-real-organs-3d-printed-models/160478733158169.
Yaffee, David, and Matthew Williams. “Cardiac Surgery and the Future.” American College of Cardiology, ACC, 9 Sept. 2015, www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2015/09/09/08/44/cardiac-surgery-and-the-future.
ISM Original Work Summary
Date/s:
I began working on my original work when I started my research assessments. Through these assignments, I started to look at topics within cardiothoracic surgery that grabbed my interest and after seeing all the options, I had a good idea of a ballpark of what I wanted to do. I started working on my original work in the middle of October when I completed the original work proposal. From that point on I worked on the project on and off until I finalized the project on December 12, 2018.
Time/s:
I worked on ISM for about 2-3 hours a day to complete the research, the original work, and the poster. The research itself took approximately 10 hours due to research assessments and reading all the sources. Being able to understand the many research sources that I used, I was able to develop a better understanding of the topic. The rest of the time was spent typing my proposal. This took approximately 25 hours combined. Though it sounds like a lot, the amount of time I spent each time typing was only 2 hour. At the maximum, I spent 10 hours in a day working on the typing of the original work.
Materials:
The main materials I used in my original work was the internet and my computer. This is due to my original work being a typed up product proposal of sorts. So all I had to do was research my topic on the internet and use my computer to type up the proposal. The only other thing I used was my mentor and my ISM sponsor. My mentor gave me a few ideas in my first interview and I also called him to discuss the original work. On this call, we spitballed some ideas, and I took some of the ideas and combined them with mine to get the topics I decided on.
Objective/Purpose:
The goal of this original work is to identify the characteristics of a disruptive that can be used in three dimensional printed hearts in cardiothoracic surgery. These models have been used to practice the surgery on a replica of a specific organ of patients with complications or unique features prior to a surgery. This is so that surgeons are able to minimize the probability of error by practicing their course of action multiple times before conducting the actual surgery.
Description of Process:
I began by brainstorming the various topics I could address on my original work. This began when I started and completed my original work proposal. Then I conducted three research assessments topics that interested me like heart transplants, heart valve surgery, and minimally invasive cardiac surgery. Then I decided to call my mentor and inform him of my project and asked for some advice on possible topics. We talked for about thirty minutes and I was given ideas like new methods in surgeries, the practicing of surgeries prior to the final operation, or cost reduction of technologies used in surgery, etc. I then combined this with my idea to come up with the first topic of study. This was a survey regarding the characteristics that patients want out of their perfect surgeons. This idea was rejected, so I had to find a new one. The second idea was a proposal for the implementation of 3D printed hearts by hospitals, but this one was rejected too. So I finally developed a usable idea that turned into my original work. This topic is to identify the characteristics of a disruptive that can be used in three dimensional printed hearts in cardiothoracic surgery. And using that I developed a theoretical material that could improve the durability of 3D heart models.
Utilization of Higher-Level Thinking Skills:
The utilization of my higher thinking skills came when I decided on a solution to the durability of the current material used in the creation of 3D printed heart models for practicing surgeries. Given the issue of rejoining cut plastics I looked towards the glue industry. Some of the strongest glues in the world have the ability to expand over time and encompass more surface area and then harder. I applied this same concept, however, I also included the characteristics of a hydrophilic material. This will allow my theorizes material to engulf the cut pieces and joint them together again. Doing this is water will soften up the material and make it malleable. Then the drying process will solidify the bond. The wishful thinking comes in the form of the dried product being able to be flexible and consistent to actual skin. This is where the chemistry of it will have to be developed and tested. But other than that I had an issue and using the outside pieces of knowledge I procured, I came up with a new and innovative solution to that issue which does not exist today.
Results:
The result was my original work, which is a proposal for a new material that will revolutionize 3D printed models of hearts that can be used to practice surgeries on. This along with the presentation board are the results, and that displays all of my work on this project.
Conclusions/Interpretations:
I concluded that the implementation of this theoretical material into the current filament used to construct models of patient hearts can help save hospitals money, time, and most importantly save lives. When I was doing research I found no such material that could fix the durability issue of the current materials. This led me to develop a theoretical material that could be plausible in use, but not too hard to implement. It has everything that is needed to make the models more durable and even how the process should work. This is all the information I learned through my various times researching. I knew that it would take some development and R&D, but that is just what is necessary to get a new or innovative product out to market.
Application/Meaning:
The application of my original work is to show what could be done to better the current situation of 3D printing heart models to practice on in cardiothoracic surgery. If someone like a scientist, that has the ability to create the material like the one I mentioned sees this, then there can be a lot of money saved and even the saving of lives indirectly. This will also further 3D printing technology in medicine, and can lead to more innovations. I plan on showing this to my mentor so we can see if it is possible to create a material like this for my final work. If that is not possible I would like this to have the impact of informing the public about the technologies that are available right now to better surgeons. This way hospitals might start to consider adopting the technology and making it more widespread. That is my overall goal of doing the original work alongside finding a new and better material.