MaxilloFacial
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity prides itself on supporting ground-breaking equipment that revolutionises a patient's treatment and leads the way in medical advancements.
MaxilloFacial is one of those pioneering projects that we helped fund. The 3D printer planning software worth nearly £40,000 helps the hospital’s Maxillofacial Prosthetic Department, by creating facial prosthetics and is at the forefront of reconstructive surgery services in the UK.
Prosthetists at QEHB use a 3D printer, also purchased thanks to charitable funding, to create precise and realistic facial prosthetics for people who have an injury or illness and need to have reconstructive surgery.
Imaging Software
The new imaging software means that the team can now use the printer to produce patient-specific templates that can be used before and during operations to help surgeons, reducing theatre time significantly.
The software can also be used with a handheld scanner purchased for the department by QEHB Charity to show patients what their prosthesis will look like; before the surgery, the patient will have a quick, painless scan to bring up a computer-generated image of their face with the doctor can then manipulate to show the patient what they will look like when their prosthetic is in place. This is really helpful in enabling people to prepare for their surgery and reducing anxiety about not knowing what to expect.
This new software has allowed us to plan for surgery in even more detail, leading to better outcomes for patients, and reducing the time spent in theatre. It also helps us when it comes to having pre-surgery conversations with patients and contributes to improved functionality and appearance of the prosthetics themselves – we’re really grateful to have the software added to our repertoire, and I’d like to thank everyone whose donations have helped to make this happen.