3D Printed Surgical Instruments Evaluated by a Simulated Crew of a Mars Mission

Area of Science:

• Space exploration
• Medical technology
• Additive manufacturing

Background:

• The first space-based fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printer became operational in 2014.
• This study evaluated the use of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) thermoplastic surgical instruments FDM 3D printed on Earth by Mars simulation crewmembers with no prior surgical experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the feasibility of using 3D printed surgical tools for simulated surgical procedures during extended space missions.
• To assess if a back-up crew medical officer with no prior surgical experience can perform necessary surgical tasks using 3D printed instruments when the primary medical officer is incapacitated.

Main Methods:

• Five simulation crewmembers with no prior surgical experience participated in a 4-month ground-based analog mission.
• Crewmembers completed 16 timed sets of simulated surgical tasks including prepping, draping, incising, and suturing.
• The speed of using four ABS thermoplastic instruments (sponge stick, towel clamp, scalpel handle, toothed forceps) printed on Earth was compared to conventional instruments.

Main Results:

• All four simulated surgical tasks were successfully completed by crewmembers using the 3D printed instruments.
• No substantial difference in completion time was observed between the 3D printed instruments and conventional instruments for any of the simulated tasks.

Conclusions:

• The findings support further investigation into creating an onboard digital catalog of validated 3D printable surgical instrument design files for autonomous healthcare in Mars missions.
• Future research should address sterility, biocompatibility, and testing of instruments printed in microgravity by astronaut medical officers during actual surgical procedures.