The Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization recently issued a communiqué stating that its researchers have developed a self-expanding 3D printed vascular stent that can be customized according to the characteristics of the patient's blood vessel to better treat diseases such as peripheral arterial stenosis.
The communiqué stated that vascular stents are often used to treat diseases such as peripheral arterial stenosis, but people often can only choose from the existing stents on the market. Although these stents come in various models, they often do not conform to the patient’s blood vessels. Case.
Researchers from the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization have developed a 3D printing technology that can be used to produce self-expanding nickel-titanium alloy vascular stents. Because Nitinol has the characteristics of "shape memory" and is sensitive to pressure and heat, it is necessary to accurately design its geometric shape during 3D printing. The researchers used a process called "selective laser melting" to make the printed nickel-titanium alloy stents have the characteristics of an ultra-fine mesh structure that can be used in blood vessels, and they can be expanded as needed after being fed into the blood vessels.
Researchers believe that 3D printed nickel-titanium alloy vascular stents customized according to patient characteristics can better help patients recover. Doctors can instruct and print out this kind of vascular stents in hospitals and other on-sites, and can also save the cost of inventory stents.