For patients facing high-risk surgery, the difference between success and serious complications can come down to the finest details of their anatomy.

That is why surgeons at USF Health and Tampa General Hospital are turning to an unexpected tool before they ever operate: 3D-printed replicas of their patients' own organs. Created from digital medical scans, these models allow physicians to examine and rehearse procedures on an exact physical copy of what they will encounter in the operating room.

Inside the cutting-edge Tampa General Hospital-USF Health 3D Medical Visualization and Printing Lab, a bank of specialized printers builds precision replicas of aortas, kidneys, jawbones and other body parts layer by layer. The process transforms data into a powerful physical form of personalized medicine that helps physicians plan and operate more safely.

"We're able to materialize what surgeons only see on screens," said Devid Zille, director of the lab and assistant professor of radiology in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. "Holding the model in their hands, they can rotate and see if there are any difficulties that they will encounter during surgery."

Because every human body is different, small anatomical variations can have a significant impact during complex procedures. Access to patient-specific modeling allows surgeons to map out a clear strategy and anticipate potential risks. For patients, this additional level of preparation often means shorter surgeries, fewer complications and better outcomes.

Few physicians recognize that value better than Dr. Fadi Matar, director of the TGH Heart & Vascular Institute's Research & Innovation Center and professor and chief of cardiology in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

Matar began exploring 3D printing about a decade ago while performing high-risk structural cardiac interventions. He has found the models particularly valuable in helping anticipate one of the most dangerous risks in valve replacement procedures: coronary artery occlusion, which occurs when the supply of blood to the heart is blocked.

By reviewing a 3D-printed model of a patient's heart, Matar can determine whether additional protective steps are needed before surgery.

"With these models, we can actually see how a patient's coronary arteries relate to the valve we're about to implant," Matar said. "We are lucky here at USF and TGH to have all those tools available to us as physicians."

In addition to its impact on patient care, the 3D Innovations Lab is also reshaping health education and how future physicians are trained.

At the USF Health Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS), Melissa Milner, director of clinical simulation, developed fetal models to prepare surgeons for delicate and complex medical procedures such as spina bifida.

Spina bifida, a birth defect where the spine and spinal cord do not develop properly, can result in paralysis and significant physical disabilities. Surgery before birth can dramatically improve outcomes and quality of life for patients, but the procedure requires extraordinary precision.

Milner's team had already been creating silicone fetal models when Zille joined the 3D Innovations Lab, and their partnership evolved.

Zille's 3D printing expertise provided a solution to a challenge Milner faced: making the spinal defect appear at skin level to simulate actual surgical conditions. Rather than manually cutting each model, Zille designed and 3D-printed a custom cradle for the back of each fetus. The cradle allows the defect insert to be swapped between models, so surgeons can practice repeatedly without damaging the fetus model itself.

The result is a lifelike training model that gives medical students and practicing surgeons the opportunity to perfect their skills before performing high-stakes procedures on real patients.

"With the tactile feel, it's much easier for surgeons to pre-plan cases and visually recognize what they'll be approaching on the surgical field," said Zille. For Milner, her partnership with the TGH-USF Health Innovations Lab only scratches the surface of what the technology can do, and she believes it will increasingly impact how physicians provide care in the future.

"The uses of this 3D print lab are endless," Milner said.