Dr. Ruchi Pathak Kaul: “3D Printing Drastically Improves The Quality Of Life Of Patients”

Dr. Ruchi Pathak Kaul is the founder of Reconstructive Health Care Solutions Pvt Ltd , a start-up based in India. 

They help to change the lives of patients by providing surgical solutions using 3D Technology. Ruchi got the award of Maxillofacial Surgeon of the Year in 2018 by Trinity Media & Marketing for her efforts in using 3D Printing Technology for maxillofacial injuries. She is a maxillofacial surgeon and a Member of Royal College of Surgeons & Physicians, Glasgow. She is currently pursuing a PhD on medical applications of 3D Printing.

She has authored more than 18 Research articles with a focus on maxillofacial reconstruction.

She was awarded the prestigious Women Scientist Fellowship by the Government of India in 2015 for research on facial reconstruction. 

Her continued pursuits in research and entrepreneurship resulted in the Government of India awarding her with BIRAC-BIG grant in 2018, which is a seed grant for product development. She has spoken on various national and international forums on facial reconstruction with one of her keynote lectures on 3D Printing in Madrid, Spain.

Nora Toure: Ruchi, could you let us know about your background and what brought you to 3D printing in the first place? 

Dr. Ruchi Pathak Kaul: Professionally I am a maxillofacial surgeon with my post-graduate experience predominantly being maxillofacial trauma. The cases ranged from mild to the most critical injuries of the face. I was associated with the premiere institute of India, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi for my training which exposed me to severe injury patients with no further recourse on treatment for facial deformities. The plight of such patients encouraged me to look for options to help them and I encountered 3D Printing Technology as a viable option.

Nora Toure: Can you describe your very first experience with 3D Printing? 

Dr. Ruchi Pathak Kaul: My first experience with 3D printing was while exploring surgical options for a severe facial deformity case. The conventional CT scans gave us a 2D view which led to the surgical consensus that the case is inoperable. 

I persisted for options and got a 3D model printed which completely changed our perspective of approaching the case. What was complicated and inoperable based on CT scans suddenly had the potential of multistage planned surgeries. It is from here that I really understood how 3D Printing and its application could be a blessing for such patients who were not taken up due to the severity and complexity of their defects.

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