Potential Uses and Challenges of Three-dimensional Printing in Cardiothoracic Surgery in Africa - a Narrative Review

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is an innovative technology with increasing and emerging potential in cardiothoracic surgery. This technology has significantly impacted translational research, education, and clinical practice. In high-income countries, 3D printing has vastly broadened the understanding of the cardiovascular system and helped in surgical planning by facilitating the nuanced creation of patient-specific cardiac models with exact precision to allow the development of personalized devices and surgical tools to facilitate improved patient outcomes. However, in low-income countries, such as those in Africa, there is limited access to 3D printing technology. The growing burden of complex cardiovascular diseases in Africa warrants the need for this technology to improve the standard of care for cardiac surgical patients. This review discusses the fundamentals of 3D printing, its relevance to current disease burdens in the context of the African population, its current state and future prospects in African cardiac care, its unmet needs, challenges, and how to implement it in the continent.