A few doctors and hospitals print 3-D models of patients’ hearts to help prepare for surgeries, the Chicago Tribune reports.
The newspaper cited Children’s Hospital of Illinois in Peoria, Children’s Hospital in Chicago, Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C., and the University of Washington Medical Center as examples of hospitals that use 3D models.
The article explained that engineers typically take an MRI or CT scan of the heart and run it through a computer program that allows them to print plaster composite hearts in 3D. Health insurance companies don’t usually cover the 3D prints, but the Tribune noted that hospitals often don’t charge patients for the prints, either.
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Executive Editor
Tim Casey joined TriMed Media Group in 2015 as Executive Editor. For the previous four years, he worked as an editor and writer for HMP Communications, primarily focused on covering managed care issues and reporting from medical and health care conferences. He was also a staff reporter at the Sacramento Bee for more than four years covering professional, college and high school sports. He earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Notre Dame and his MBA degree from Georgetown University.