Stratasys
Anatomic model of a spine printed on the Stratasys J750 Digital Anatomy Printer.
Stratasys has teamed up with Ricoh USA to provide point-of-care anatomic modelling services to healthcare facilities.
Ricoh 3D for Healthcare, an end-to-end workflow set up for the design and production of anatomic models, will leverage its Stratasys J750 Digital Anatomy and J5 MediJet platform as part of the collaboration.
Using Stratasys’ full-colour and multi-material PolyJet technology, Ricoh will produce life-like anatomic models that can reflect a patient’s pathology and by physically manipulated like human tissue. With these models, clinicians will be able to enhance their surgical preparation and patient education, as well as improve medical training.
Ricoh 3D for Healthcare is available as a point-of-care option and an on-demand option. The former sees Stratasys 3D printers paired with Ricoh’s managed services staff on-site to manage the entire process in accordance with Ricoh’s Quality Management System and good manufacturing practices, while the latter gives providers the option of ordering the 3D printed models, which will then be shipped directly to them.
“To date, access to anatomic models at point-of-care locations has been limited to large hospitals and healthcare facilities,” commented Gary Turner, Managing Director, Ricoh 3D for Healthcare, Ricoh USA. “Our cost-effective solution expands access for healthcare providers of all sizes. By partnering with Stratasys, through an integration with IBM Watson Health and our ongoing commitment to innovation, we are able to provide these models to any facility using IBM iConnect Access.”
3D printing has been leveraged to produce surgical planning models for several years - with many anticipating it will soon become the standard of care - and, as a result, Stratasys has moved to design 3D printing systems specifically for these types of applications. In October 2019, the company introduced the J750 Digital Anatomy machine to address the demand for responsive anatomical models to help improve surgical planning and training, following it up with the launch of the J5 MediJet in June of this year. The two machines have since been acquired by Ricoh, who will now use the platforms to power its point-of-care anatomic modelling service.
“Through our partnership with Ricoh we are giving healthcare institutions the opportunity to access patient care tools that they may not have previously had access to,” added Scott Drikakis, Healthcare Segment Leader for Stratasys. “With Ricoh 3D for Healthcare, providers can easily generate 3D printed models of patient specific anatomy using state of the art technology through an on-site managed services or on-demand part approach. This will demonstrate the clinical and economic benefits of anatomic models, while streamlining the historical challenges of establishing 3D printing programmes in hospitals.”
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