Patient-tailored, 3D-printed surgical guides offer significant potential to improve precision and therapeutic efficacy in cardiac ablation surgery. However, reliable post-sterilization material performance presents a critical yet underexplored barrier to clinical adoption. This study investigates how disinfection and sterilization impact the mechanical and thermal properties of photopolymer resins. Specimens from two 3D-printing resins (Bioflex A80 MB{\texttrademark}, 3Dresyns; MED625FLX{\texttrademark}, Stratasys) were treated with four combinations of disinfection techniques (low-temperature manual cleaning; high-temperature machine washing) and sterilization techniques (H2O2 vs. autoclaving). We assessed post-sterilization properties by mechanical (material integrity, bending tests), thermal (differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis), and viscoelastic (dynamic mechanical analysis) studies. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc tests (α = 0.05). From this preliminary study, we conclude that MED625FLX maintains integrity and flexibility across all tested disinfection and sterilization methods. Bioflex A80 MB is only suitable for low-temperature disinfection–sterilization, as high-temperature treatments cause surface cracking. Neither resin is appropriate for cryogenic conditions due to the risk of brittleness. Further research into post-sterilization properties is essential to ensure the safety and clinical reliability of these materials in cardiac procedures
Kronenberger, R, Kazma, R, Amirabadi, A, Uribe, LV, Talevi, G, Kaya, GE, Brande, NVD, Abadi, RH, Kalteremidou, K-A, Hemelrijck, DV, Baert, K, Hauffman, T, Soete, J, Pannone, L, Paparella, AM, Eltsov, I, Chierchia, GB, Meir, ML, Gharaviri, A & Asmundis, CD 2025, 'Impact of Disinfection and Sterilization on 3D-Printing Resin Performance for Surgical Guides in Cardiac Ablation Surgery', Bioengineering, vol. 12, no. 9, 924, pp. 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering12090924
Kronenberger, R., Kazma, R., Amirabadi, A., Uribe, L. V., Talevi, G., Kaya, G. E., Brande, N. V. D., Abadi, R. H., Kalteremidou, K.-A., Hemelrijck, D. V., Baert, K., Hauffman, T., Soete, J., Pannone, L., Paparella, A. M., Eltsov, I., Chierchia, G. B., Meir, M. L., Gharaviri, A., & Asmundis, C. D. (2025). Impact of Disinfection and Sterilization on 3D-Printing Resin Performance for Surgical Guides in Cardiac Ablation Surgery. Bioengineering, 12(9), 1-18. Article 924. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering12090924
@article{3766c5f688254dce8e97833a8299e389,
title = "Impact of Disinfection and Sterilization on 3D-Printing Resin Performance for Surgical Guides in Cardiac Ablation Surgery",
abstract = "Patient-tailored, 3D-printed surgical guides offer significant potential to improve precision and therapeutic efficacy in cardiac ablation surgery. However, reliable post-sterilization material performance presents a critical yet underexplored barrier to clinical adoption. This study investigates how disinfection and sterilization impact the mechanical and thermal properties of photopolymer resins. Specimens from two 3D-printing resins (Bioflex A80 MB{\texttrademark}, 3Dresyns; MED625FLX{\texttrademark}, Stratasys) were treated with four combinations of disinfection techniques (low-temperature manual cleaning; high-temperature machine washing) and sterilization techniques (H2O2 vs. autoclaving). We assessed post-sterilization properties by mechanical (material integrity, bending tests), thermal (differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis), and viscoelastic (dynamic mechanical analysis) studies. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc tests (α = 0.05). From this preliminary study, we conclude that MED625FLX maintains integrity and flexibility across all tested disinfection and sterilization methods. Bioflex A80 MB is only suitable for low-temperature disinfection–sterilization, as high-temperature treatments cause surface cracking. Neither resin is appropriate for cryogenic conditions due to the risk of brittleness. Further research into post-sterilization properties is essential to ensure the safety and clinical reliability of these materials in cardiac procedures ",
author = "Rani Kronenberger and Rawan Kazma and Alireza Amirabadi and Uribe, \{Leire Viana\} and Giacomo Talevi and Kaya, \{G{\"o}rkem Eyl{\"u}l\} and Brande, \{Niko Van den\} and Abadi, \{Ramak Hossein\} and Kalliopi-Artemi Kalteremidou and Hemelrijck, \{Danny Van\} and Kitty Baert and Tom Hauffman and Jeroen Soete and Luigi Pannone and Paparella, \{Andrea Maria\} and Ivan Eltsov and Chierchia, \{Gian Battista\} and Meir, \{Mark La\} and Ali Gharaviri and Asmundis, \{Carlo de\}",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025 by the authors.",
year = "2025",
month = aug,
day = "28",
doi = "10.3390/bioengineering12090924",
language = "English",
volume = "12",
pages = "1--18",
journal = "Bioengineering",
issn = "2306-5354",
publisher = "MDPI",
number = "9",
}