Impact of Disinfection and Sterilization on 3D-Printing Resin Performance for Surgical Guides in Cardiac Ablation Surgery
 
Impact of Disinfection and Sterilization on 3D-Printing Resin Performance for Surgical Guides in Cardiac Ablation Surgery 
 
Rani Kronenberger, Rawan Kazma, Alireza Amirabadi, Leire Viana Uribe, Giacomo Talevi, Görkem Eylül Kaya, Niko Van den Brande, Ramak Hossein Abadi, Kalliopi-Artemi Kalteremidou, Danny Van Hemelrijck, Kitty Baert, Tom Hauffman, Jeroen Soete, Luigi Pannone, Andrea Maria Paparella, Ivan Eltsov, Gian Battista Chierchia, Mark La Meir, Ali Gharaviri, Carlo de Asmundis
 
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