Costa Rica's Public Health System Implants Its First In-House 3D-Printed Skull Implant

A Public-First Milestone

Costa Rica's Social Security Fund has implanted the first 3D-printed cranial prosthesis designed, validated and manufactured entirely inside its own public hospital network. The surgery took place at Hospital San Juan de Dios in San Jose and marks a shift for a state-run system that usually buys implants from outside vendors.

The implant was made from PEEK, a high-performance polymer that is strong, lightweight and does not interfere with CT or MRI scans. That last detail matters: metal plates can distort later imaging, while PEEK lets doctors keep monitoring the patient without artifacts.

How the Workflow Works

The process started with CT and MRI scans of the patient's skull. Biomedical engineers turned those scans into a virtual model and then printed a prosthesis matched to the exact defect. The CCSS says the fit is accurate to the millimeter.

To build this capability, the agency spent roughly $230,000 on an additive manufacturing package that includes resin and filament printers, a curing oven and a post-processing lab. The idea is to keep the whole design-to-delivery pipeline inside the hospital, avoiding procurement delays and foreign supply chains.

The Cost Argument

According to the CCSS, producing a small cranial implant in-house costs about $2,250. Outsourcing the same device would cost roughly $6,250. That 64% saving is not pocket change for a public health system that needs to stretch every colon.

The hospital plans to scale quickly. By the end of 2026 it aims to provide personalized 3D-printed implants to at least 52 patients across its national network.

Why This Matters Beyond Costa Rica

Point-of-care 3D printing has been gaining ground in wealthy hospitals in Europe, the United States and Israel. Costa Rica's case shows a middle-income country doing the same thing inside its public system. If the model holds, it could offer a template for other public health networks that need custom implants but cannot pay premium prices.

The procedure also highlights a practical advantage of PEEK over titanium for cranial work: radiolucency, low weight and bone-like stiffness. Those properties have made PEEK popular in spine and facial reconstruction, and now Costa Rica is adding skull repair to the list.