An Innovative Approach to the Design and Production of Patient-matched Medical Implants

 

Nancy Hairston, the President and CEO of MedCAD, a Dallas-based medical technology company built on an innovative approach to the design and production of patient-matched medical implants joins eHealth Radio and the Health News Channel. Also joining the program is vascular neurosurgeon Dr. Anna Huguenard.

Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels & guests Nancy Hairston & Dr. Anna Huguenard discuss the following:

1. Nancy, if you would, what inspired you to start in MedCAD and what gap were you seeing in the surgical or medical device space that 3D Printing could solve and also if you would kind of walk us through what MedCAD does.
2. Dr. Huguenard, if you would tell us a little bit about your background and your specialty and how did you first come across MedCAD's technology in your surgical work?
3. Taking that further from a clinical perspective, what kinds of challenges were you facing before adopting 3D planning or custom implants?
4. How do you approach designing solutions that meet the real world need of surgeons like Dr. Huguenard? And also what does the collaboration between engineers and surgeons look like at MedCAD?
5. Share an example of a complex case where MedCAD's planning or implants made a significant difference in a patient outcome.
6. Dr. Huguenard, if you can respond first, then Nancy, how is this kind of technology changed the way you think about surgery or product development?
7. How do patients benefit from having custom 3D printed implants versus traditional off-the-shelf devices? What kind of feedback have you received so far?
8. How do you measure success at MedCAD in terms of patient outcomes or clinician satisfaction and are there any data points or success stories that stand out to you in that regard?
9. What are some of the challenges of bringing patient matched devices to market especially in terms of regulation or scalability and what role does FDA clearance, like the recent one for Accustride, play in your growth strategy?
10. How do you see the adoption of patient specific technology evolving across hospitals and surgical specialties? What are some misconceptions among peers about 3D planning or custom implants?
11. Lastly, what excites you most about the future of personalized surgery?

Dallas, Texas, native Nancy Hairston serves as the president and CEO of MedCAD, a Dallas-based medical technology company built on an innovative approach to the design and production of patient-matched medical implants. Following her passion of creating art and sculpting, Nancy received her Bachelor of Arts degree in sculpture from Loyola University in New Orleans. She then joined Alias Research, a startup 3D special effects animation software corporation that ultimately became Maya.

In 2000, she was instrumental in the development of a 3D digital sculpting software company SensAble Technologies, focusing on product development through 3D printing. By 2002, she formed her first corporation, VanDuzen, Inc. Nancy founded the MedCAD brand in 2007, allowing her to use the artistic and special effects animation skills acquired in her earlier career. By this time Nancy had mastered a process called digital sculpting, which she used to design toys for Mattel and Disney.

Noting the rapid advancement of 3D printing and medical technology, Nancy began to look to the medical space as a new market for her skills, and by 2009 the company had created its first surgical planning processes and models. In 2011 MedCAD was granted a 510K FDA clearance for its AccuShape cranial implant. To date, the corporation has provided facial, mandibular, and cranial implants for more than 8,000 individuals, each a patient-specific, custom solution using enhanced radiography, digital design, and 3D printing.

Dr. Anna Huguenard is a neurosurgeon formerly with Barrow Neurological Institute. She received her medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine and was a research scholar with Harvard Medical School.

Website: https://www.medcad.com

Social Media Links:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/medcad
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MedCAD_

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