3D printed tracheal splinter used in complex surgery

Medical treatments have gotten a long way over recent years. One of the technologies adding to this progress has been in the form of 3D printing. With 3D technology in the medical industry, area such as bio-printing is getting us closer to cutting organ patient waiting lists, customising medical devices and much more. One new method is with biomedical engineers of Georgia Tech have assisted the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to treat children with a new procedure containing a 3D printed tracheal splinter.

First of it’s kind in Georgia

The hospital has been able to perform the first-of-its-kind procedure in Georgia to place 3D printed tracheal splinters in a paediatric patient. The team had three 3D printed splints customised to help stabilising the breathing of the 7 month-old patient, Amir. He has battled life-threatening airways obstruction a big part of his short life.

Amir was suffering from congenital heart disease and trachea-bronchomalacia. In simple terms this condition causes a severe life-threatening airway obstruction. Because of this the young patient was checked in at the hospital for a duration of 6 months. During the inpatient period at the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Children’s, he vent through frequent episodes of airway collapse that was not possible to correct with regular surgery methods. With this in mind the clinical team proposed to surgically insert an experimental 3D printed tracheal splint, to open up his airways and further expand the trachea and bronchus.