COVID-19 and the role of 3D printing in medicine

As of March 12, 2020, the World Health Organization classified coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a pandemic, at the time of writing affecting nearly every country and territory across the globe [1]. During this time of social and economic despair, global healthcare systems are under critical strain due to severe shortages of hospital beds and medical equipment. Patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (Fig. 1), are at risk for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and a fraction will require high-level respiratory support to survive [2]. Additionally, significant strain has been placed on personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies required to protect the healthcare workers helping to treat critically ill patients during this pandemic. At the time of writing, there are active disruptions of medical supply chains throughout Europe and in the United States at the hospital level, particularly in the states of New York and Washington. The purpose of this Editorial is to highlight recent (as of April 1, 2020) initiatives and collaborations performed by companies, hospitals, and researchers in utilising 3D printing during the COVID-19 pandemic and to support local 3D printing efforts that can be lifesaving. The 3D printing community can refocus its medical attention internationally, capitalizing on centralized large-scale manufacturing facilities as well as locally distributed manufacturing of verified and tested CAD files. In addition, there are multiple medical, engineering, and other societies and groups that can pull together to work on common needs, many of which are outlined in this Editorial.