Exploring the medical applications of 3D printing with 3D LifePrints has been an incredible experience for the staff and patients of Alder Hey children’s hospital. With 3DLP’s embedded 3D printing facility we have discovered a number of truly novel and exciting ways to make our care better, kinder and easier. Working with 3DLP has been an absolute pleasure. Their attention to detail and innovative team have opened our eyes to a huge range of possibilities.

At the end of the day, the more you practice the better a surgeon you become. Being able to use 3D printed models that mimic tissues from bone to vessels provides us with an incredible opportunity to create high fidelity simulation models.

3D printing could reduce a lot of challenges we have with training. It is obviously beneficial for the patient, obviously beneficial for the clinician and obviously beneficial for our health systems in terms of reducing costs and reducing complications.

The model went down well this morning, changed the operation. Patient will almost certainly do better as a result of it, both short term and long term.

I found it useful, not only for pre-operative planning but also to understand and identify trochlea dysplasia patterns.

Seeing the lab and chatting with Nick Turner, 3DLP's Biomedical Engineer, stimulated a new plan for a complex patient and I'm going to ask them for new models for me.