Blog Spentys

We want to help independent healthcare workers (physiotherapists, orthopaedic technologists, etc.) to start treating their patients again while ensuring a safe (COVID-19 free) work environment.

Create it REAL, a Danish 3D printing technologies company and Spentys, a Belgium company enabling mass tailor-made orthopedic devices join forces to accelerate 3D printing adoption at Certified Prosthetists and Orthotists (CPO’s) through a new partnership.

Approximately 1,5% of all visits to the emergency department are due to hand and/or forearm fractures, most of which are radius and/or ulna fractures (44%). The majority (47%) of these hand and/or forearm fractures are caused by accidental falls. Since these fractures can happen anywhere (at home, in the street, at school…), it is good to know which measures you can take before you meet with your doctor.

Spentys, a Belgium software company enabling mass-customization of orthopedic devices and atum3D, a Dutch company that connects digital light processing (DLP) technology to cost-effective, high-quality serial manufacturing capabilities are partnering to introduce 3D technology into the emergency room of hospitals.

Casting is an immobilisation procedure that is often applied for closed, reduced or non-displaced fractures. Immobilisation is useful for various reasons: it keeps the bone in the right position, protects the surrounding structures from injury and reduces pain.

Together with the 3D-print lab at the University Hospital Basel (Lead: Dr. Florian Thieringer), Dr. Philipp Honigmann introduced 3D-inhouse printing at the Kantonsspital Baselland. Inside, various 3D printed medical devices are manufactured to assist the medical staff in their daily tasks. Among these devices, we will highlight the use of 3D printed orthotics for the upper extremity.

Similar to other technologies that have dramatically influenced the medicine world, such as X-Ray Imaging or the Medical Thermometer, 3D printing has the potential to significantly improve upon the current medical standards. Although this technology has started being used around 20 years ago in procedures such as anatomical modeling for bony reconstructive surgery planning or joint replacement and craniomaxillofacial reconstruction, today’s hospitals are still somewhat reluctant in adopting this innovative technology.

Orthopedics is a medical specialty that annually generates billions of dollars. From diagnosis to surgery, medical experts try to solve all healthcare issues. As orthopedic injuries rise in our medicalized society, so does the emergence of new advanced technologies for specific treatments. These two features will drive the growth of the orthopedic devices industry.

Spentys wants to engage in the medical world, especially in orthopedics. By promoting and utilizing the additive manufacturing technique of 3D printing, many collaborations can be settled as the demand for personalized healthcare is increasing. Together with medical experts, Spentys can accommodate the specific needs of customized healthcare and provide multiple solutions.

Plagiocephaly translates to “flat head” syndrome in Greek and is also known as benign positional moulding, positional plagiocephaly, occipital plagiocephaly or plagiocephaly without synostosis. It is a deformation of the skull observed with children at a very young age and is known to be one of the most common cranial deformities in infancy. “Plagiocephaly”, can be used to describe asymmetric head shapes resulting from both synostotic and non-synostotic causes.