Two medical institutions based in metropolitan Taipei yesterday held their first 3D organ replica printing workshop in the capital.
Organ donation after death is relatively rare in Taiwan, as many people are reluctant to sign up to donate their organs after death.
As some people fear that organ donation would affect the appearance of the corpse, replacing the organs with 3D-printed replicas would put families at ease over the appearance of their deceased family member, said the Taipei Medical University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education Center, which organized the event with New Taipei City’s Shuang Ho Hospital.
Photo: Wu Liang-yi, Taipei Times
More than 10,000 Taiwanese are waiting for an organ transplant, while only 170 procedures had been performed in the first two months of this year, Taiwan Organ Registry and Sharing Center data showed.
Lu Hui-zong (陸惠宗), a neurosurgeon who heads Shuang Ho Hospital’s organ donation promotion task force, said the most urgently needed organs are kidneys, with an average of 8,000 people in need of a transplant each year and only about 200 receiving donated kidneys.
Most patients remain on the waiting list, and their need for regular dialysis weighs on their quality of life and the National Health Insurance system, Lu said.
Photo: Wu Liang-yi, Taipei Times
After an organ is removed, part of the body might appear sunken, he said.
Replacing the organ with a replica would improve the body’s appearance, Lu added.
His hospital recently fulfilled the wish of the mother of a deceased patient who donated their organs, Lu said.
The hospital replaced the donated organs with 3D printed replicas featuring words of gratitude and blessing printed on them, he added.
The procedure helped soothe the mother’s broken heart, he said.
The task force hopes 3D organ replica printing technology can help relieve the concerns of donors’ family members and increase people’s willingness to donate their organs, he added.
Innovation center director Hsiao Yu-cheng (蕭宇成) said the center can rapidly 3D print customized organ replicas using commonly available technology.
However, the process has its challenges, including creating a replica organ that has the same proportions as the organ to be replaced, Hsiao said.
The center uses materials that do not affect cremation, such as corn starch, Hsiao added.
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