Ramille Shah, an engineer at Northwestern University in Chicago has created a flexible material that could be used to repair damaged bones. This 3-D printed material, made of elastic polymer and a calcium mineral found in bones, can be shaped into a large variety of bones. Not only is this a quick way for surgeons to repair damaged or broken bones, but it also is cheap because it's 3-D printed.
Because this material is made of calcium found in humans, it integrates well with the damaged bones and helps enhance bones to grow in a month. These "bones" have not been tested on humans yet, however, they have worked almost perfectly in the animals during testing. The testing included replacing part of a monkey's skull and inserting spinal implants on mice. Shah has reported that surgeons won't even need to use stitches or glue to hold these repairs in place.
Questions
- Do you believe that this discovery could enhance the future? Why?
- Would you be willing to have your broken bone repaired with 3-D Printing?
My Opinion
I am astounded by this new invention. This is the type of news that excites me for the future. As a person who is planning on going into the medical field, I love reading articles like this because I believe that it is expanding our horizons and innovating the medical field. If or when this material is proven successful, I would gladly have part of my bone repaired with this. Not only could it be less expensive, but it claims to heal your injury quicker, which would be a bonus.
Replies
Well done Andrea!
I think that this will make recovery time for injured athletes significantly shorter. They will be back in the game much faster. For older people this will be amazing, for the ones who bodies might not be able to go through surgery something like this could be life changing. I would be willing to try this, if it would help me heal faster then I would, but they would have to be for sure that they have tested it safely on humans.
You have some great points!! I never thought about how this will help athletes and older people. Maybe they could make a different version of repair material that is especially designed for elderly or recovering athletes.
I would think so because usually when someone break a bone they try not to use that arm to much because they are afraid to break it again. So I think this would be helpful especially when a lot of people break there bones. I would think about it I mean it may not be my first option. But I would defiantly think about it just because I would want to use my arm or leg to go out and do everything I have done before.
I didn't think about the fact that this invention may make it more efficient for surgeons to heal more patients in less time. What would be your concerns about this repairing invention.?
This is definitely a remarkable invention and it will help the future. I'm sure that they will perfect this method and it will help many people with broken bones in the future. I would be willing to try this method if I had a broken bone. This seems like it will be a really big thing in the future.
After a while of testing, I too would be willing to have a bone repaired with this. I also hope this invention really takes off and helps others around the world.
I love hearing stuff like this! I love hearing about our new medical advances! I think it's cool that they can do this and get positive results. It's even better that it's cost efficient. I will save us a lot of time and money.
I think it will, a lot of people will be excited about this material. It'll help a lot of people if everything they say is really true and works on everyone. If I knew that my leg was broken, id try it, I know that my leg really can't get any worse at that point.
I too think that many people, especially those studying or wanting to study medicine will be very excited about this. I hope this product advances and is used by many practitioners.
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