Personalized 3D printed ciprofloxacin impregnated meshes for the management of hernia

This study aims to explore the application of fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing in the fabrication of personalized hernial meshes. Different meshes with and without the loading of ciprofloxacin HCl were designed using polypropylene (PP) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), having different pore size, shape and thread thickness. PP has shown better printability than PVA. Printed meshes were evaluated for their mechanical, drug loading and release characteristics. All the printed meshes showed satisfactory mechanical properties. However, the PVA meshes showed slightly faster release as compared to PP based meshes. Moreover, in-vivo testing in rabbit models (performed for assessing biocompatibility and adhesiogenecity) revealed no signs of implant rejection and the extent of adhesions to the visceral tissue was mild to moderate. Animals implanted with ciprofloxacin HCl loaded meshes exhibited fewer fluctuations in body temperature and faster-wound healing. This work demonstrated that the FDM 3D printing is an effective and low-cost alternative for the manufacturing of tailored meshes with or without drug loading for the management of hernia.