Original post: NYC Newswire
Three-year-old Issac “Mano” Cruz was born with a condition that caused his forearms and hands not to develop. Thanks to 3D printing and doctors at Jacobi hospital, Cruz is now the youngest patient to have a prosthetic made using the innovative technology.
Dr. Cesar Colasante and Dr. Andrew Peredo, burn surgery fellows in the Plastic Surgery Department at Jacobi, channeled their creativity using measuring tape, photogrammetry scanners, and special software to fit and build the 3-year-old’s custom prosthetic.
Because the procedure is still very new to the medical field, the two doctors not only built the prosthetic from the ground up, they also funded the entire project themselves. Several fitting sessions and prototypes later, the final product allows Isaac to close his “hand” by using one arm to position the prosthetic and the other to pull a trigger to grab things.
Doctors expect he’ll grow out of his prosthetic in about 6-months to a year, until then Cruz will put his new hand to good use picking up toys, and playing games with his friends.
For more on this amazing story, check out the full feature here: http://nycnewswire.com/nyc-health-hospitalsjacobi-doctor-using-3d-printing-creates-prosthetic-forearm-hand-youngest-patient-yet/
Leave a Reply