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, Rani Kronenberger, Rani Kronenberger, Rawan Kazma, Rawan Kazma, Rawan Kazma, Alireza Amirabadi, Alireza Amirabadi, Alireza Amirabadi, Leire Viana Uribe, Leire Viana Uribe, Leire Viana Uribe, Giacomo Talevi, Giacomo Talevi, Giacomo Talevi, Görkem Eylül Kaya, Görkem Eylül Kaya, Görkem Eylül Kaya, Niko Van den Brande, Niko Van den Brande, Niko Van den Brande, Ramak Hossein Abadi, Ramak Hossein Abadi, Ramak Hossein Abadi, Kalliopi-Artemi Kalteremidou, Kalliopi-Artemi Kalteremidou, Kalliopi-Artemi Kalteremidou, Danny Van Hemelrijck, Danny Van Hemelrijck, Danny Van Hemelrijck, Kitty Baert, Kitty Baert, Kitty Baert, Tom Hauffman, Tom Hauffman, Tom Hauffman, Jeroen Soete, Jeroen Soete, Jeroen Soete, Luigi Pannone, Luigi Pannone, Luigi Pannone, Andrea Maria Paparella, Andrea Maria Paparella, Andrea Maria Paparella, Ivan Eltsov, Ivan Eltsov, Ivan Eltsov, Gian Battista Chierchia, Gian Battista Chierchia, Gian Battista Chierchia, Mark La Meir, Mark La Meir, Mark La Meir, Ali Gharaviri, Ali Gharaviri, Ali Gharaviri, Carlo de Asmundis, Carlo de Asmundis, 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