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: