The epidural cart that we roll into labor and delivery rooms had a poor organizational system for commonly used items during epidural placement. The tegaderms, tape, and other items were stored in an “organizer” that was essentially a cardboard box sitting on top of the cart;

This system was not straightforward to inventory and it was often discovered, once already in the patient’s room, that items needed to be restocked. As it was a just box resting on top of the cart it was also occasionally knocked onto the floor.

To allow for better restocking and improved access to the individual items, I designed and 3D printed a new organizer. The design implements clear labelling, maximizes utilization of the space, and has suction cups integrated to prevent falling from the cart. The organizer was printed on a Prusa i3 MK3s with a total print time of about 20 hours, printed in 2 parts due to print ped dimension constraints.

Here is the organizer in use:

There’s little worse than your patient sitting at the bedside and having to rummage through a pile of spinal and epidural needles during difficult neuraxial placement. I designed and 3D printed inserts for our existing storage bins for better organization. My goals were to reduce time searching for specific equipment, allow for better inventory/restocking of equipment, and provide a method for non-anesthesia personnel to assist anesthesia personnel that are performing a sterile procedure.

Here is the 3D Design:


The geometry and size of the inserts were not conducive to effective printing so the models were split into more appropriate shapes and sizes. This would also allow for efficient reprinting of certain components if they required adjustments:


The components were sliced in Cura 4 and printed on a modified Creality Ender 3 with a total print time of approximately 30 hours. The components were affixed to the storage bins with double sided tape producing the following product: