- Research Snapshot 2023
- Foreword
- A message from the RBWH Foundation
- A message from The Common Good
- Research stories
- Pre-hospital pathway improving heart attack outcomes
- Caboolture diabetic research attracting global attention
- Improving safety of kidney biopsies at the RBWH
- Breakthrough for diabetes foot ulcer sufferers
- Using artificial intelligence for polyp detection in colonoscopy
- Kids Pain Collaborative at Redcliffe Hospital
- Virtual reality and education for low back pain
- Gestational diabetes screening could be easier thanks to COVID
- Whole Genome Sequencing pilot helps patients and families
- QUT Metro North Nursing and Midwifery Academy
- Vertigo management key tool to preventing falls in older patients
- Community dysphagia research highlights telehealth importance
- RADAR RR grant to provide hospital level care at home
- Does antibiotic delivery method improve health outcomes?
- Radiation shield provides greater protection to staff
- Using AI to identify aspiration in children with feeding disorders
- New online platform helping determine causes of delirium
- Transforming consumer and community involvement in research
- HBI engineers modelling patient-focussed care
- Improving pressure injury management in palliative care
- Stoma study shows importance of exercise to avoid complications
- Improving the menopause journey for women in the workplace
- Research study highlights complexities of ICU environment
- More growth in nursing research at Redcliffe
- The Queensland Aphasia Research Centre recognised
HBI engineers modelling patient-focussed care as they lend skills to Queensland surgery colleagues
Herston Biofabrication Institute (HBI) continues to expand its 3D printing capability and innovation for surgical planning, now assisting colleagues across the state.

HBI engineer David shows off 3D heart model
Some of the team’s engineers have recently lent a helping hand to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH) to assist with a unique surgical planning model for a complex cardiac case.
The SCUH patient, who has congenital cardiac abnormalities which require surgery, has had an exact to-scale model of her heart created by the HBI team.
Using CT scans, Advanced Biomedical Engineer David and his peers were able to build a 3D model of her heart which was then 3D printed at the Herston Biofabrication Institute in a transparent photo-curing resin. David said HBI is one of the few places in Australia which could create a model of this type based on the advanced software and printing requirements, as well as the expertise required to get the model right.
“We now have a to-size replica of the patient’s heart, which we have been able to give to the medical team so they can plan her surgery,” David said.
“We have been able to provide a few surgical planning heart models for various patient cases and the feedback has been that these are so important, as endovascular surgery is complex and there are many valves and arteries to consider.
“It could be difficult for a surgeon to hold a 3D image in their mind while in surgery, based on the 2D imaging, however these models are just another tool that can assist them beforehand and when they are in this kind of procedure.”
The HBI team have produced approximately six heart models like this one for various patient cases so far, each requiring multiple iterations to perfect the model, in collaboration with the surgical team.
For David, the ability to provide security for both the treating team and patient makes it all the worthwhile.
“This type of model can make a huge difference to the outcome, as some teams can be reluctant to operate without it, so this means patients can confidently undergo surgery and start to feel better,” he said.
HBI continues to invest in combining engineering and medical expertise to develop new medical devices and constructs with a direct pathway to translation in clinical practice.