CAMES expands with new 3D printing centre for the Capital Region
Here, the region's hospital departments, clinicians and other staff in RegionH will have access to skills, best practice, knowledge and state-of-the-art technical equipment for 3D modelling and printing.
Read also: go directly to the Capital Region's 3D printing centre
In recent years, 3D printed materials have increasingly found application in the Danish hospital world. However, the development of the technology and its applications has mainly taken place in the private sector.
By providing access to these skills and technical facilities within the region, CAMES aims to bring together clinical and technical expertise in the field in one regional centre. Precisely to bring technology and innovation closer to the clinic and increase collaboration between clinicians, engineers, industry, universities and start-ups.
The expected areas of work for the new centre include:
- Production of custom equipment for use in. patient treatment
- Patient-specific phantoms for training clinical procedures
- Production of prototypes for medical and technical innovation
- Design and production of technical parts for clinical use
- Production of medical devices according to established processes
- Research into new materials and clinical applications
- Design and production of customised aids
In collaboration with Rigshospitalet, 3D printing is currently offered for innovation projects, patient-specific treatment, surgical planning and teaching. In collaboration with the region's welfare technology laboratory (KCX), customised aids for citizens are also produced.
In 2023, the centre expects to establish collaboration with DTU (Technical University of Denmark) and other technical partners to test new materials and methods in clinical 3D printing.
The centre is already working with several clinical departments to provide advice on how to roll out 3D technology in the clinic. The same applies to clinical 3D printing centres in other regions of the country when it comes to national development and efforts in the field of 3D printing.
The new centre thus provides access to a strong professional network and resources. Not least in terms of lifting and accelerating 3D printing for clinical use in the future. In the centre's own web universe, you can read much more about the types of printing services offered by the centre's staff. And you can see examples of other tasks that have been solved around the region.
video
Shall we find a 3D printing solution together?
Subscribe to newsletter
Sign up for our newsletter and stay updated on new 3D printing services, offers and cases.
cases: 3d-print
Current projects and tasks
Bolus production for difficult anatomies in radiotherapy
In radiotherapy treatment for skin cancer, a silicone-like mat, called a bolus, is used to spread the radiation and avoid damage to the surrounding skin. For large and regular anatomies, a generic mat can be purchased for the purpose. But for awkward anatomies, such as noses and ears, patient-specific solutions may be better.
In this project, CAMES has a strong collaboration with the Department of Medical Technology (CIMT) at Rigshospitalet and the Radiation Therapy Department at Rigshospitalet, where we produce patient-specific bolus mats based on scans.
In this project, we investigated the best 3D scanners to avoid putting patients in a CT scanner. And we've developed optimised code for our CAD programme to ensure we deliver an accurate but quickly produced product.
Bolus falls into the 'custom medical device' category of the MDR (medical device regulations). We therefore also take care of registration with the Danish Medicines Agency and the associated quality assurance.
CAMES project team: Kiki Vestersøe, Sanne Kristensen, Morten Bo Søndergaard Svendsen
Contact:
3D printed training hearts for cardiology
The project was initiated at the request of the Department of Cardiac Diseases at Gentofte Hospital. The aim was to visualise patient-specific cases - with various irregularities - before the patient went to the operating table. In collaboration with the Department of Medical Technology at Rigshospitalet (CIMT), a heart from a CT scan was segmented - and a heart was printed. As it was just for visualisation, it was printed in PLA plastic.
The patient often has the CT scan one to two days before he/she lies on the table. Therefore, time is an important factor. Printing the full heart took over 20 hours. So instead, work was done to segment the parts of the heart that are of interest to the doctor.
The possibility of virtual reality is also being explored, as the time perspective is shorter.
CAMES project team Kiki Vestersøe and Magnus Obinah.
Contact:
Washing plugs for multistage blood pressure cuffs
When blood pressure cuffs need to be washed, a plug is used at the end of the pressure cable. This is done to avoid water in the cuff and later in the blood pressure devices. These are no longer sold individually from the supplier, but with a new cuff.
Therefore, the Child and Adolescent Clinic at Rigshospitalet asked the Department of Medical Technology (CIMT) and CAMES if this task could be solved internally. CAMES has produced a mat with 6x6 silicone plugs, which can soon be ordered via the 'brick system' throughout the region. Currently they are available to order through the Medical Technology Department and their 'Medusa' system.
The project has offered a test and validation of the plugs' properties, in collaboration with the Children and Youth Clinic. This has led to new guidelines for cuff washing and drying times.
CAMES project team: Kiki Vestersøe, Morten Bo Søndergaard Svendsen, Sanne Kristensen
Contact:
Ear clips for keloid treatment
Patients with keloids, scar tissue that grows uncontrollably, are most often treated with surgery or steroid injections and pressure (sometimes both). For the latter, precise pressure is important, as too much pressure will provoke more growth, while too little pressure will leave room for continued growth.
In this project, we are investigating whether these clips can be produced patient-specifically using 3D scanning and CAD software. The clips are produced on our SLA printer with biocompatible resin that is ISO-approved for continuous skin contact. These clips fall into the category of 'custom medical devices' in the MDR (medical device regulations). CAMES is therefore responsible for registration with the Danish Medicines Agency and the associated quality assurance.
CAMES project team: Magnus Obinah, Kiki Vestersøe
Contact: