Alone, we are great. But together we are unstoppable.

Whether it’s developing a new type of medical device or 3D printing a portion of human anatomy, innovation in the health care space would be nearly impossible if we only looked inwardly for answers to complex problems. That’s why we, at OSF HealthCare, form partnerships with divergent groups such as academic institutions, technology firms, engineers and other disciplines to bring some of our ideas to fruition.

A great example this work is our ongoing partnership with Caterpillar. The heavy equipment manufacturer in Peoria, Illinois? Yep. That one.

Around the world, CAT is predominantly known as a leading manufacturer of earth-moving machinery. But it’s more than that. I’ve always considered the company a technology firm first, with a strong grasp on 3D printing, data science, automation and many others.

With that, it only seemed natural to partner with CAT when the OSF Innovation Advanced Imaging and Modeling (AIM) Lab began its 3D modeling program for pre-surgical planning. That’s led to a variety of specialized prints for pre-surgical planning. Our relationship has only grown from there as we expand our digital modeling work.

Getting a better view of complex tumors

https://www.osfhealthcare.org/innovation/how/innovation-labs/advanced-imaging-modeling/

In late 2019, the AIM Lab began working with surgical oncologists to view complex abdominal tumors for pre-surgical planning in virtual reality with great success. They now regularly use VR to view complex cases where the relationship of a tumor with other structures is not easily distinguishable. ?

This year, surgical oncologists asked for a 3D print of a complex liver cancer case to reference during surgery and use as an educational guide for the patient. The AIM Lab doesn’t have the materials to print a detailed organ that includes cancer and blood vessels, so it reached out to CAT for help.

Thanks to the company, our surgeons had access to a translucent liver that included two color-coded tumors on the right side of the liver and another on the left side. It also showed the blood vessels surrounding the tumors.

With this view, our surgeons determined they didn’t have to remove as much of the organ as they originally thought, reducing the chance of liver failure for the patient. During surgery, the surgeons were also able to remove all of the cancer, reducing the risk of the tumors coming back.

Overall, the model produced by CAT improved the confidence of surgeons before and during the operation. And the patient was comforted knowing how the surgery would proceed. ?

More to come

We’ve seen the benefit of 3D printing and digital modeling for years now. Our next great journey is to make this available to everyone.

Every day, complex surgeries are happening across the US and the world. How can we scale this technology, so that surgeons can pre-plan, see the complexity and make better decisions pre-operatively? That’s out next great challenge and I believe that CAT is a committed partner in making sure this happen.?