Forceps, clamps, hemostats for emergency operating in space. In white, printed in ABS instruments. © Aerospace Medical Association, Alexandria, VA.
Space toothache, appendicitis in orbit… After printing pizzas in 3D, Nasa, the American space agency, is taking a close interest in the digital production of surgical instruments to address certain medical emergencies during long-term space missions. Hence the idea to print on demand in “ABS” the necessary instruments to prepare, incise or stich up, thanks to a 3D printer that functions despite the absence of gravity.
Two North-American researchers, Julielynn Wong and Andreas Pfahnl, looked into the issue in a recent study published in the scientific journal Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine (ASEM). The results of their work were presented on July 23rd during the Graduate Studies Program of the Singularity University – free education organisation from the Silicon Valley, half way between a prospective think tank and an incubator for high tech companies. On request from Nasa, tests were carried out on an appendicectomy procedure. For the experience, 13 Canadian surgeons compared 10 thermoplastic instruments with conventional metal instruments. The tests were conclusive, with the proviso that sterilisation still needed to be honed. The first printer of this nature could be delivered this year on ISS, the international space station. With pizzas?