Jonathan Cook and Kevin Kreitzman
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Senior biomedical engineering students, Jonathan Cook and Kevin Kreitzman, have been using SculptCAD and FreeForm® Modeling Plus™ software to create exact replicas of human joints to help surgeons during implant surgery. Implants are used to replace deteriorated joints, such as hips or knees, but in some instances, the bone is so damaged that standard implants cannot connect to the bone. In those instances, having an exact model of the deteriorated bone helps doctors fashion an implant for each particular patient, making surgery more successful.
In fact, Cook and Kreitzman applied their expertise to help a Rapid Prototyping Consortium member, who had a personal stake in the matter. Rudy Kool, senior group leader, Product and Process Support at Access Business Group explained, “I have a friend who had cancer on a vertebra, and needed to have it removed.” Kool thought of the students and asked for help creating a model of the spine for the surgeons. “I was overwhelmed with the turn around. I think they worked over the weekend … Before surgery, the surgeons were able to create the spinal bracing … The surgery went very well.”
Mr. Kool was helped again, when he had surgery on his knee and the students again created a model of his knee before the surgery.