In order to ease the fear and discomfort of an anesthetic mask induction, we often use essential oils (we refer to as “mask flavors”) to add a pleasant smell to the oxygen mask which helps to, at least partially, cover the unpleasant smells of the plastic mask and sevoflurane anesthesia. One problem with our work flow is that the flavor vials are typically held in the equipment carts like so:

This method of storage is suboptimal. The vials often tip over and spill, they must be picked up in order to read the label, and the anesthesia techs can not easily tell which vials need to be replaced. Inserting a simple 3D printed organizer would be an easy and cheap solution in order to improve the organization and delivery of this tool. 

I conceived the following design in my CAD software:

The model was designed to fit nicely into the existing space. Two rows are positioned to display the vials in an orderly and easy to read manner while the back portion would allow for the storage of a few extra vials.

I printed 2 prototypes on a Prusa i3 MK3S in PLA with 0.2 mm Layer height.

Here is the model in use. It serves its purpose as designed and my anesthesia group was pleased with the upgrade.

Along with one of my colleagues, I continued to print these organizers for the remainder of the anesthesia carts.

Further Reading:
Use of essential oil to promote induction of anaesthesia in children (A brief research article on the benefits of essential oils for inhalational anesthetic induction in children)

Due to the popularity of my OB 3D Printed Emergency Drug Tray, members of my department asked if I could help standardize an emergency drug tray for the endoscopy suite. I polled the CRNAs and attendings that frequently work in endoscopy and made a layout that would include all the important and frequently used drugs to have on hand. Since I had previously measured the sizes and created layouts for all of the drugs in my previous emergency drug tray, creating the new model was straightforward.

3D Model Design:
I Printed the Components in 2 parts so that I could have 2 distinct colors: 1 for paralytics (Succinylcholine in this case) and 1 for the other emergency medications. The halves were simply glued together with some standard cyanoacrylate glue. I added non-slip feet to the bottom so the tray can be removed from the drawer and placed on top of the cart if desired.

Final implemented product:

In order to provide immediate access to emergency medications in our Obstetric ORs, we have a medication drawer that is easily accessible to all anesthesia personnel by badge access. Although there have been multiple ideas for organizing the drawer with easy access and safety in mind, the current state or the drawer leaves much to be desired:



Considerations for a new design included clear grouping of medication classes, sturdy construction, easy to clean surface, and modular design for easy revision in the future. I designed a new drawer inlay and discussed the design with the our residents. With some input from them, I clearly separated emergent GA drugs and emergent epidural medications to draw their eyes quickly to drugs that should be grabbed for each situation. Here is the first iteration of the design:



After printing out an example syringe inlay, feedback was that the finger wells were too small to grab the syringe quickly, so the wells were increased in size. Feedback was positive and the design was accepted readily by the department. After a few months of use the pharmacy began stocking rocuronium syringes instead of rocuronium vials. Due to the modular design, it was straightforward to revise the inlays and replace only one section of the inlay. After a couple weeks of use, it became apparent that the succinycholine and rocuronium syringes were being swapped when restocked, so I reprinted the rocuronium inlay in a different color to draw the eyes to the difference.

Here are the inlays currently in use in our all of our Obstetric ORs:

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: