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Patients sometimes give up using a prosthetic - the reasons vary. They can be heavy, conspicuous or unwieldy. Lighter, custom-made 3D printed "false" limbs could significantly improve the patient's quality of life, MSF researchers say.
How it works: A 3D camera scans the patient’s arm and the image is used to manufacture a prosthesis fitted specifically to the individual. In 2017, its first year, the project fitted 17 people with made-to-measure plastic hand or arm prosthetics. The 3D project, based in the Jordanian capital Amman, runs alongside a larger conventional rehabilitation hospital.
The 3D image files are sent to a commercial 3D printing firm. “It is personalised, depending on every patient”, said project manager Samar Ismail. The hands, forearms and sockets are shipped back in as little as one day — conventional methods can take several weeks.
- Credits Ben Parker/IRIN
- Themes Solutions and Innovations
- Regions Middle East and North Africa Jordan