3D tech training to improve surgeries

A South Australian research project focusing on 3D technology hopes to improve knee, hip and spine surgeries.

The $2.4 million project, led by a $1 million government grant, will see Flinders University’s Medical Device Research Institute researchers collaborate with South Australian company Fusetec and DePuy Synthes, part of Johnson & Johnson Medical, to develop surgical training models for improved knee, hip and spine surgeries.

Fusetec Chief Executive Mark Roe said the 3D technology can simulate a variety of medical training devices, reproducing exacting density of all anatomical tissues and bone densities and reproducing organs or joints to an accuracy of 20 microns among a wide range of features.

The collaborative outcomes in this project will have a wide range of benefits to the healthcare sector, including the ability to train residents and surgeons in an environment free from potentially harmful bacteria, Roe said.

Strategic Professor of Biomedical Engineering Mark Taylor said Flinders researchers have used technology to characterise tissues and modelling of joints, which will support Fusetec to develop the next generation of anatomical models.

Professor Karen Reynolds, Director of the Medical Device Research Institute at Flinders, Tonsley, and Associate Professor John Costi, from the College of Science and Engineering, are also on the Flinders University research team.

The project will be supported by advanced bio-model workshops led by DePuy Synthes, which will trial the Fusetec anatomical models as part of Johnson & Johnson’s surgeon training for use of their digital technologies.

Image courtesy of Fusetec.