The ability to replicate complex human anatomy in highly accurate models enables the 3D printing of life-sized medical manikins to complement training materials and allow healthcare workers to practice COVID-19 swab testing procedures with standard medical-grade swabs. Moreover, in view of addressing the environmental concerns on medical waste accumulated from disposable PPE, 3D printing offers promising solutions to conserve precious resources by advocating recyclable materials and reusability of respirators and filters.ģD printing is also being used to provide training and visualization aids for healthcare workers to cope with the limited pool of trained personnel. Personalized 3D-printed face masks that provide an ergonomic fit are enabled by the mass customization capability of 3D printing combined with the use of 3D scanning. The 3D-printed swabs are fabricated with complex tip structures for enhanced sample collection efficacy, hence eliminating the need to apply flocks at the tips. 3D printing also serves as an efficient manufacturing option to keep up with the demand for nasopharyngeal swabs. An Italian engineering company, Isinnova, came up with a 3D-printable mask connector design, the Charlotte valve, which is specially designed to fit and connect Decathlon’s Easybreath snorkelling masks to CPAP machines. Owing to severe shortages of ventilator machines, continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP) machines have been used as substitutes for COVID-19 patients who require sub-intensive therapy. 3D-printed respirator image adapted from, copyright CIIRC CTU 2020 image of 3D-printed mask from, courtesy of WASP#3dwasp image of 3D-printed isolation ward adapted with permission from, Yingchuang Building Technique (Shanghai) Co., Ltd (WinSun) image of the 3D-printed medical manikin from, courtesy of Creatz3D & AuMed image of 3D-printed swab from, courtesy of EnvisionTEC image of Charlotte valve adapted with permission from, Isinnova. CPAP: continuous positive airways pressure BiPAP: Bilevel positive airway pressure. 3D printing is being used to provide many different solutions to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, ranging from personal protective equipment (PPE) to emergency dwellings to isolate patients.
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