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Outcome of Three Dimensional Printed Functional Prostheses for Children with Upper Limb Deficiency in Nepal
1Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma, KIST Medical College and Teaching Hospital. Imadol, Lalitpur, Nepal.
Insights
Children in Nepal with upper limb differences can use 3D-printed prosthetic hands from the e-Nable community for daily tasks. While functional for light objects, durability and complex movements remain challenges for these low-cost devices.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Pediatric Prosthetics
Background:
- Children with upper limb amputations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face unique challenges.
- Prosthetic devices offer improved self-reliance for daily activities but can pose financial burdens.
- The e-Nable community provides free, 3D-printed prosthetic hands for children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the functionality of 3D-printed prosthetic hands in children.
- To assess the performance of these devices in daily tasks after three months of use.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive cross-sectional study involving 76 children (ages 5-18) in Nepal.
- Data collection via semi-structured questionnaires and observational methods.
- Analysis of prosthetic hand benefits and drawbacks over a 12-month period.
Main Results:
- Participants could effectively lift light objects like bottles and balls.
- Difficulties were noted with tasks requiring complex movements and heavy lifting.
- Sixty-one percent of participants were satisfied; common issues included broken parts and worn components.
Conclusions:
- 3D-printed prosthetic hands enable children to perform specific daily tasks.
- Durability and functional range require further improvement for optimal outcomes.
Abstract:
Background Children with congenital and traumatic upper limb amputation are undervalued in a low and middle-income country (LMIC) like Nepal. The use of a prosthetic hand can give them a feeling of self-reliance to perform their daily activities. However, prosthesis require periodic maintenance and replacement which could be a financial burden to some families. The e-Nable community has designed and developed three dimension printed prosthetic hands for children under 19 years old, and distributed them free of cost. Objective To explore the functionality of the three dimension printed prosthetic hands using semi-structured questionnaires and assess a series of daily tasks after three months prosthetic use. Method This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2019 to June 2020, after receiving an ethical clearance from the Nepal Health Research Council (Registration number: 582/2019). Seventy six children (5-18 years old) who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in this study. Data were collected using semistructured questionnaires, and observational methods to identify the benefits and drawbacks of the three dimensional prosthetic hands. Mean, standard deviation, and percentage were used to interpret the data. Result All participants could only lift light objects such as tray, tennis ball or a bottle of water. They had difficulty with those task that required complex movement and with lifting heavy objects. Moreover, only 47(61.8%) participants were completely satisfied with the prosthetic hand and the major reasons for dissatisfaction were tear of the rubber band or cord, and broken parts. Conclusion Participant were able to complete certain tasks using the e-Nable community three dimensional printed prosthetic hands.
