3D Printing Prosthetics

This week in ISM, I had another phone call meeting with my mentor and created the rough draft of my FPN program brochure. In the phone call, my mentor and I discussed possible changes that could be made to the prosthetic legs after we finished putting them together and the future of this field. We decided that the biggest changes would be made to the foot attachments, pylon, and socket, since these can vary based off the patient's height, weight, and activity level. Also, we'll most likely add minor details to our current patient description, so that specific aspects of each leg are justified by patient characteristics. Another important topic we covered in this meeting was the role of 3D printing and osseointegration in the future. I learned that the greatest weakness for 3D printing prosthetic legs is currently the reduced durability of the materials. As a result, each device must be replaced more frequently and even though the cost per leg is cheaper, having to get a new prosthesis more often significantly impairs the purpose behind 3D printing. In regards to osseointegration, it appears that its implementation within the United States is still in its initial phases. This is most likely due to the fact that this procedure is limited to a very specific patient type, because patients must have strong bones and be willing to undergo surgery as well. However, as this technique is researched in greater depth and fine-tuned, I believe that osseointegration has the potential to become the standard for prosthetic devices, rendering the use of a socket obsolete. This upcoming week, I have scheduled a mentor visit at UT Southwestern, and I plan on assembling both prosthetic legs for my Final Product.