[Tweet “Learn how Finceramica is using Tecla.it & #IBMCloud to manufacture bones for patients worldwide!”]I must confess that when I first told about the cloud, I looked out my window, pronounced the sky as being clear and blue, and dismissed this assertion as being typically bad weather reporting. Now, the information cloud is an integral part of our everyday lives.
We conduct business on the cloud, we communicate with others, we watch videos, and we stay on top of the news. The cloud is critical to staying connected as is evidenced by the explosion of social media networks and tools. When I think about it, at least 90% of my business activities are conducted via the cloud and right now I am writing this article on my iPad while tethered via wifi to Google Drive.
The cloud connects us, allows us to collaborate in real-time, and is a vehicle for the instant sharing of data and ideas. Simply put, it has changed the way that we live and work! Still, all of this stuff is really small potatoes. If we make friends on Facebook or we listen to music on Pandora, while pretty cool beans, none of this is really mind-bending stuff. What about when something happens that isn’t mind- bending but rather it’s skull-shattering?
The cloud becomes more personal
While we are all connected together socially, each of us is also connected internally by our bone structures. What happens when those fail? What happens if I crack my noggin open while riding a motorcycle in the rain? Now this is getting personal! Aside from the obvious pain, it can also be life threatening. I need to get help quickly and it is imperative that whatever help I do get is done correctly. The first time!
Finceramica, a biotech company based in Faenza, Italy, designs and manufactures custom bioceramic materials that allows for bone regeneration in patients who have suffered traumatic skull injuries. They work very closely with surgeons worldwide to provide these, as well as custom prostheses, for their patients.
In order to be able to create the implants, surgeons and engineers were forced to share patient data like CT scans and 3D prototypes via courier. This would result in not only increasing the chances of human error, it would also add greatly to the time needed for fabrication. Therefore, we have a greatly needed product that was being hampered by poor, and outdated, processes.
http://youtu.be/KP05cZhHNVg
Tecla.it and the IBM Cloud step up
Tecla.it, an Italian technology company and IBM Partner, worked with Finceramica in order to design and implement a cloud-based system that would facilitate more effective real-time collaboration between surgeons and the engineers who were creating these critical bone implants. Together they created the Custom Bone Service, a fully integrated and extremely secure web portal in the private cloud, which now allows surgeons to create new clinical cases from virtually any modern browser.
Instead of relying on couriers, surgeons can now upload CT scan data, which then allows Finceramica’s engineers to construct the 3D models for the custom-made implants which are instrumental for accurate fabrication. Through this process, Finceramica was able to reduce its workload, resulting in a substantial reduction of turnaround times, by 30 percent. As you might guess, a project like this requires some serious computing power!
How they did it …
The following is an excerpt taken, translated, and edited from Tecla.it. Read the full article.
Customer
Finceramica SpA is a cutting edge biotechnology company that designs, manufactures and markets innovative biomedical solutions for the repair and regeneration of connective tissues. The company is located in the district of research dedicated to innovative ceramic materials in Faenza and operates nationally and internationally through a network of Italian and foreigner distributors.
Challenge
The customer had to optimize and speed up the overall flow of information and materials necessary for the production of a prosthesis tailored to each specific patient. He wanted to find a technological solution that would allow putting in immediate and synchronous communication between the various actors in the process (surgeons, distributors and manufacturers) and to share data in real time via CT and 3D virtual models with higher resolution.
Project
Tecla carried out the study, implementation, and management of an extranet portal (hospitals – Finceramica) based on IBM WebSphere Portal : neurosurgeons can upload TAC of patients directly in the portal, making them immediately available to the systems of 3D modeling to design at Finceramica and subsequently approve prototypes online.
- Integrated solution for Collaboration : Extranet Portal
- Technology : IBM WebsSphere Portal
Benefits
Acquisition of X-ray images to design with 3D technology of the latest generation, to the finished product, the web portal resets the dispersion of the logistics cycle times, reduces design steps, and has validated an average reduction of 30% of the timing of production of the bioceramics devices for cranioplasty. All with a significant reduction in costs, errors and delays, and with the protection of confidential patient data.
Earlier we spoke of how the cloud is changing how we live and work. It now becomes apparent that it is also changing lives in profound and critical ways. Some 15 years ago, I myself underwent neck surgery. My physician chose to use a cadaver bone, which he hand fitted, rather than to knock a piece off of my hip to use for the fusion (ouch!). I wonder how it might have been with Finceramica?
To learn more about the IBM Cloud and other real-life case studies, please follow these links:
Made with IBM – Smarter Planet Case Studies
Made with IBM – Smarter Planet Stories
Note: This post contains excerpts taken from an article published on Kinja by Studio@Gawker, written for IBM, titled Repairing Skulls Has More in Common with Making Music than You Think.
This post was brought to you by IBM for Midsize Business and opinions are my own. To read more on this topic, visit IBM’s Midsize Insider. Dedicated to providing businesses with expertise, solutions and tools that are specific to small and midsized companies, the Midsize Business program provides businesses with the materials and knowledge they need to become engines of a smarter planet.
Craig M. Jamieson
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