3D-printed tracheal tires saved the life of a child

The Atlanta Children's Health Organization, in conjunction with the Georgia Institute of Technology (GT), successfully performed an operation to implant 3D printed tracheal tires. They restored the patency of the respiratory tract of a seven-month-old child and saved his life.

The patient was born with a heart disease and pathology, which violates the patency of the airways, which could not be corrected by traditional surgical methods. Doctors offered to implant him with experimental tracheal tires, printed on a 3D printer. Innovative devices allow to open the airways, and also to expand the trachea and bronchi.

Scientists have printed out several variants of tires of different sizes in order to find suitable ones. The operation lasted ten hours. As a result, surgeons successfully implanted three tires.

The device still needs to be improved. Its safety and efficiency are not sufficiently tested, so the device is not yet available for wide application in clinics.

"The ability to use 3D printing technologies to save the lives of children motivates us to work on the device further," said Scott Hollister, creator of the device and director of the Center for 3D Manufacturing of Medical Devices in GT.

robo-hunter.com