Personalized Medical Devices—3-D Printed Biodegradable Stents
November 29, 2016 | Terry Sharrer
Today’s arterial stents are made from either metal or plastic. They come in different sizes, and the surgeon who inserts one has to make a general assessment of how well the standard sizes fit. To make a stent that is an exact fit and unlikely to slip its position, bioengineers at Northwestern University are using “projection micro stereo lithography” (i.e. 3-D printing) to customize stents to the patient’s arterial geometry and biologic features. The ink in this instance is a citric acid-based polymer whichcan be loaded with antibiotics or anti-clotting drugs. Printing can be as fine as 7 microns. MORE
Image Credit: McCormick News Northwestern University