Doesn’t the time it takes to make these casts, and the added cost in materials and labor decrease the likelihood that these would be an option for patients over a traditional plaster cast?
The material costs are about the same as a traditional cast. Labor time actually goes down over traditional casting when you consider casts have to be sawed off and reapplied at every exam and x-ray and customizations like offloading/ offsetting areas or making exposures for surgical hardware or bone stimulators are very difficult. In addition, 3-D printed casts can transition from long arm to short arm or from casts to splints during the healing phases, saving further costs and time. The 3-D printing technology is constantly improving and print times are being reduced. The ActivArmor designs can be used with any 3-D printing technology so it’s just a matter of time until the fabrication is faster also. Sanitizable, custom, waterproof. casts will become the standard of care over the next 10 years or so, and we are at the forefront of that market shift.
