Thanks to a donor-funded seven-axis robotic carver, patients across the province are receiving prosthetics and orthotics that fit better and get them moving sooner.
The carver, which was funded last year with the generous support of our donors, serves over 1,500 individuals from across Alberta each year, allowing orthotists and prosthetists to forgo traditional time-consuming plaster-casting in favour of a digital approach.
With the carver, 3D imaging is translated to a computer to create automated replicas of any body part – including the head to be fitted with a helmet, torso for a spinal brace, or arm or leg for prosthetic or orthotic devices.
For Glenrose patient Rowan McNair, the carver was instrumental in making him a custom fit helmet to help his continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) fit with more comfort. Rowan wears a CPAP at night for a rare condition that causes him sleep apnea, but for years, struggled to find a CPAP that fit comfortably while he slept.
Due to the poor fit of the masks, he dealt with constant pain from pressure sores and rashes causing him to want to take his mask off at night or not wear it at all.
That’s when Rowan was referred to the Glenrose where orthotist, Andreas, suggested a custom helmet might help Rowan’s CPAP fit with more comfort. The hospital’s seven-axis robotic carver used 3D imagery to make an exact foam replica of Rowan’s head, which was then used to make him a flexible helmet with straps for a more precise fit of his CPAP.
The carver was generously made possible through donations from the Edmonton Civic Employees Charitable Assistance Fund, the Stollery Charitable Foundation, the Allard Foundation, the Baldwin Family Foundation, and Ivan Radostits in memory of Mary Agnes Radostits.
