Khaberni - A 75-year-old British man has received the first 3D-printed face within the British National Health Service (NHS), after losing his original features due to a horrific accident caused by a drunk driver who was using his phone while driving.
The accident occurred in July 2021, when Dave Richards, a grandfather of four from Devon, was cycling with two friends on the A303 near the town of Mere, before they were struck by a driver who was speeding while distracted by his phone and under the influence of alcohol.
While the two friends were thrown away from the car, Richards was trapped underneath and dragged a distance that resulted in him suffering deep burns and breaking his back, pelvis, and several ribs.
The heat from the engine and exhaust caused full-thickness burns to his face, eye, nose, and part of his neck, which led doctors to remove his left eye to prevent the spread of infection to the brain. He underwent a complex surgery to transplant live tissues from his body, with arteries and veins connected to his neck to cover the damaged side of his face.
During his treatment at Bristol Royal Infirmary, Richards met a medical team specializing in prosthetics where he was offered the possibility of getting a 3D-printed artificial face.
With the opening of the "Bristol Medical 3D Centre" in Frenchay, the first of its kind in Britain that combines scanning, designing, and printing within an NHS facility, Richards became one of the first patients to benefit from this revolutionary technology.
The patient received a face mask perfectly matched to his skin color, hair, and eyes, designed after a series of precise scanning and modeling operations using wax molds and multi-angle imaging, and was later fitted with a 3D-printed neck brace that helped in softening scar tissues and facilitating the wearing of the artificial face.
Richards said, "It was a challenging experience at first, but the results are astonishing.. The brace eased the tightness of the scars and helped me adapt to the mask, this technology has given me a new confidence in my daily life."
He added that he went through a difficult psychological phase after the accident, as he was afraid to appear in public places, but over time, he regained a significant part of his self-confidence and gradually began to return to cycling.
As for the driver who caused the accident, he was sentenced to three years in prison and banned from driving for seven years, yet he was released after just 18 months, which Richards considered an injustice saying, "I nearly lost my life and still suffer from daily pain, while he spent only half the time."
He concluded his speech saying, "I am grateful to the doctors and everyone who helped me in this journey.. I will always be ready to try any new treatment that gives me hope or improves my life, as long as its risks are reasonable."
