News

Breakthrough Hip Procedure in the Highlands

Oct 30, 2015

Southern Highlands Private Implants First 3D Printed Hip Plate

In a first for Southern Highlands Private Hospital, Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr Nick Hartnell has performed a successful hip procedure with a custom designed titanium plate created with a 3D printer changing the life of a long term suffering patient.

Mr Southwell, 46 underwent the successful fusion of the hip joint after multiple failed attempts spanning over 37 years with the help of a 3D printed titanium plate. Suffering from a flail hip and unsuccessful attempts to fuse and heal the bone, Mr Southwell was left with an unstable and very painful hip joint for over 3 decades.

Dr Hartnell reached out to Bespoke Medical Innovations Pty Ltd to custom design an implantable plate constructed from a 3D image and then printed perfectly to fit the patient. Combining advanced medical imaging and 3D modelling software engineers designed and created a 3D printed titanium plate specifically to target the remaining quality bone required for fixation. A large customised anatomical designed plate incorporating the pelvis down to the femur was required for the necessary stability.

“Through the advancement of such technology we were able to model and create the perfect anatomical fit to the patients remaining bone stock, targeting quality fixation points, choose the design and size of screws providing us with confidence that stability could be achieved, “ explained Dr Nick Hartnell.

“After the operation, Mr Southwell told me he is the best he has been in 37 years”, says Dr Nick Hartnell. “ 3D printing has revolutionised the way we think about procedures and gives us the ability to provide customised solutions where once we have never had options before. “

Bespoke Medical Innovations is an Australian based medical innovation company specialising in 'bespoke' or 'custom' solutions within the medical field. Using state of the art technologies that include 3D imaging and 3D printing, simulation technology, laser scanning, cloud computing, and custom-moulding techniques to provide solutions to complex problems individually tailored to fit patient needs.