3D Technology Helps Save A Baby's Life

Martha Perez was 6 months pregnant when doctors discovered her baby suffered from a rare and life-threatening heart defect. Perez said she was warned her daughter, Esther, may only live up to 10 minutes after being born.

"I was shocked," said a tearful Perez. "I was crying and crying."

Soon after Perez gave birth, doctors were able to temporarily reconstruct Esther's heart. Surgery to permanently repair the baby's flood blood flow, however, came just two months ago, in part, thanks to a life-size model that was created of Esther's heart.

A 3D printing and software company, Materialise, constructed the near replica using Esther's MRI scans. Richard Kim, a cardiac surgeon with Children's Hospital Los Angeles, then used the model as a guide to plan the necessary repairs to Esther's heart.

"There's nothing like being able to touch and feel what you're going to operate," Kim told CBS News. "Looking at the model, I know, for instance, the size of the patch I need to make. I know there are parts of the heart I need to remove or cut away, and they're readily apparent."

Kim said this new 3D technology allows doctors to practice and perfect procedures before surgery, while also reducing the amount of time a patient would need to be on the operating table. "Which includes putting the child on life support, opening the chest, and arresting, or stopping the heart, and then looking inside and making a decision," Kim said. "Your thought process changes when you're doing the operation from deciding if you're going to be able to do something, to actually performing the operation."

Kim said the models can also cut down on the number of procedures a child will need. When asked whether he believes using the models can make surgery safer, Kim replied, "Yes. No question."

After surgery, Esther is now expected to live a long, healthy life without any medical complications.

"I don't have words," Perez said while crying. "When my tears come out, it's not because I'm afraid, it's because I am joyful. I am so glad she's alive... That technology that they used is amazing."

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New Era Of 3D Printed Food That Will Melt In Your Mouth

We have heard of 3D movies , 3D TV , 3D Games and even 3D objects printed from a giant 3D printer like real guns that can fire shots which are not harmful but now the term 3D is shifting at a much higher level. Have you ever thought of eating food printed from a 3D printer which taste real and have good delicious smell, if not than after reading this you should start thinking because in the next coming era, 3D printed foods will be seen on your dinner table. Yes , 3D Printed food, A German food company is working on a new formula that will print 3D food which will look just same as you eat your normal meals, like Steak, Sausage, Pasta , Chicken , broccoli and much more.

Eating is everyone's favorite activity and when it comes to choosing delicious foods we can take our whole day to choose what to eat and make that thing possible to eat , like if someone is smelling steak in his mind and his stomach is requesting for delicious piece of steak , that person will make that thing happen and will find someway to make steak either at home or go to a restaurant and eat that, but if you have a 3D printer at home that can print real foods for you , you will save time and can print any kind of food you want. It is just like having a restaurant at home, whose owner and customer is you.

You might be thinking , why there is a 3D printer for printing 3D foods when you can find real food in a restaurant or in the market, like carrot or any other vegetable , it can be easily purchased from the market, but why 3D printer is being built only for that purpose. Well , this 3D printed food will be special , as the food printed by this 3D printer will melt automatically in your stomach and makes it easy to digest.

Normal food sometimes get stuck in your throat , like older people who have chewing and swallowing problem, millions of elderly people suffer from dysphagia , which causes food to stuck in the throat and in the worst cases stuck into lungs which makes a big problem. 3D printed food would be best for those people who have problem in chewing and swallowing their food, where the food automatically gets melted when it is inside your stomach. This food will have all necessary vitamins and energy which is found in a normal food but the only difference will be , it is available quick and can be digested well.

Via - Fastcoexist

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