A lot depends on the strength, stamina, and reliability of weight bearing lower-limb prostheses, with both safety and patient satisfaction in the balance. When concerned critics consider the possible catastrophic failure of such a device, the adjective does not exaggerate the potential consequences of such an unexpected collapse. Natural concern for their patients’ safety guides prosthetists in choosing lower-limb devices that have demonstrated their durability and stood the test of time, but devising safe methods of testing and proving the trustworthiness of new materials and prosthetic designs—such as 3D-printed lower-limb sockets—presents a challenge to conscientious innovators.
Tony Gutierrez, CP, national clinical specialist, Bionic Prosthetics and Orthotics, headquartered in Indiana, notes that standards are necessary as a reference point to provide liability protection for clinicians and technicians interested in providing lower-limb devices created through additive fabrication.
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