skip to main content

Sunday, June 4, 2023

play newscast audioPlay

A Wisconsin group criticizes two of its members of Congress, a new report says the Phoenix area cannot meet its groundwater demands, and Nevada's sporting community sends its priorities to the governor.

play newscast audioPlay

The Senate aims to get the debt limit spending bill to President Biden's desk quickly, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis makes a campaign stop in Iowa, and a new survey finds most straight adults support LGBTQ+ rights.

play newscast audioPlay

Oregon may expand food stamp eligibility to some undocumented households, rural areas have a new method of accessing money for roads and bridges, and Tennessee's new online tool helps keep track of cemetery locations.

3-D Printers Making Surgeries Safer

play audio
Play

Tuesday, September 6, 2016   

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Advances in technology are allowing doctors to spend less time in the operating room, and that's much safer for patients, especially younger ones.

At Children's Mercy in Kansas City, 3-D printers are being used to help surgeons.

Dr. Richard Schwend, chief of Orthopedic Research at Children’s Mercy, recently operated on 10-year-old Kevin Yintia. His hip was severely damaged by infection when he was a baby in the Central African Republic.

Because of that, Kevin was much smaller than average, and that's when Dr. Neil Mardis, a radiologist, stepped up and created a 3-D image of Kevin's pelvis so doctors could see what needed to be done before operating.

Schwend says because of that, doctors could create a metal plate that fit Kevin perfectly.

"That metal plate had twists and bends and sharp curves to it, and it's very hard to bend that during surgery,” he explains. “It takes quite a while. And by bending it ahead of time, we might have saved an hour of surgery time, which makes it for much safer for surgery and less risk for bleeding, and less risk for infection."

The printers can create bone, vessel or organ models. That allows surgeons to practice before surgery.

Mardis says because they're still growing, smaller patients don't always have the same size bones, so being able to design an exact model or a plate for a doctor is key.

"If they want to make a cut, they can practice the cut, they can practice some different techniques,” he explains. “They might have three or four different options to them surgically, and to see which one's going to work best, so when in the operating room they're not just sitting around thinking about which technique they want to use while they're in the O.R. They've already got a plan, they already know exactly what they're going to do when they go in there."

Mardis says families benefit because costs are reduced.

"With kids, you know, they're growing so fast that they might outgrow their brace in three months,” he points out. “And so sometimes it's just not feasible for a family to have braces remade every three months."

As for Kevin Yintia, he had his surgery, and says he's ready to start playing basketball.





get more stories like this via email

Almost all departments in Connecticut schools saw shortages in 2022, following a long-standing national trend. A 2022 American Federation of Teachers report found before the COVID-19 pandemic, almost 300,000 teachers were leaving the profession each year. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

As the school year ends, Connecticut's teacher shortage seems to have only worsened. In March, school districts across the state reported having 2,60…


Social Issues

play sound

A Muslim rights group is taking the Kent County Sheriff's Office to court for forcing a Michigan woman to remove her hijab for a booking photo…

Social Issues

play sound

A rally was held in Salem Thursday to urge passage of a bill to provide food assistance to Oregonians regardless of their immigration status…


Pennsylvanians must register to vote by Oct. 23 to be eligible to vote in the general election on Nov. 7. (Vesperstock/AdobeStock)

Social Issues

play sound

The Keystone State's general election is less than six months away and a nonpartisan, grassroots organization is already getting the word out to …

Social Issues

play sound

This week's debt ceiling deal saw federal policymakers compromise on budget-related matters, but a new awareness campaign from a Wisconsin grassroots …

A 2019 report from the New York State Comptroller's Office found almost 85% of green jobs were in increased demand. A 2022 report found there are 35,700 workers in New Jersey's green economy. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Offshore wind in New York and New Jersey is becoming a large contributor to job growth. New York's offshore wind investments are slated to create …

Social Issues

play sound

Hoosiers could play a pivotal role in pushing back against a surge of hate and violence against Jews in America. Nearly two-thirds of all …

Environment

play sound

The Nevada hunting and fishing community is sharing its top 10 conservation priorities for 2023 with Gov. Joe Lombardo's office, as they seek to …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021