Shriners Hospitals for Children – Northern California, located in Sacramento, Calif., recently installed a computer-aided design and manufacturing system in their orthotics and prosthetics lab.
According to a press release, the new system includes a camera, scanner, computer-modification software and a 3-axis carver, which cuts O&P device molds from pre-sized cylindrical polyurethane foam. The carver will allow the hospital to skip the hand molding process and make prostheses, orthoses and burn masks more quickly and efficiently for patients.
“We no longer need to rely on plaster or fiberglass to make a prosthetic limb or brace for a patient,” Dan Munoz, manager of the Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services (POPS) at the hospital, stated in a press release. “Now, thanks to scanning technology, we use a hand-held camera and mouse to begin the molding process.”
Because the system is digitized, it also will allow the Sacramento hospital to fabricate devices for Shriners Hospitals in Los Angeles; Salt Lake City; and Spokane, Wash. It also will allow POPS to keep electronic records for each device to help further O&P research and improve patient care.
Shriners Hospitals for Children – Northern California is one of five Shriners Hospitals with a carver, according to the release. The hospital received the system by way of a donation of $116,000 from The Gately Foundation.
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