A splint created with a 3D printer saved a child’s life, and its medical potential is far from fully explored. There’s been a lot of talk lately about using 3D printers to create everything from weapons to food. While many of these innovations have yet to come to fruition, the medical community has been using the technology for years with considerable success. 3D printing has already revolutionized medical imaging, implants, and stem cell therapy. Now, researchers at the University of Michigan have used a 3D printed device to treat a life-threatening case of tracheobronchomalacia in an infant.



The research by Dr. Glenn Green, an associate professor of pediatric otolaryngology at the University of Michigan, and his colleague Dr. Scott Hollister, a professor of biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering and an associate professor of surgery, was published today in The New England Journal of Medicine.

How Does It Work? Kaiba, the 20-month-old son of April and Bryan Gionfriddo of Ann Arbor, Mich., suffered from tracheobronchomalacia, a rare condition that weakens the cartilage supporting the trachea. His collapsed bronchus kept air from flowing into his lungs and he had to be resuscitated every day. Doctors told his parents the baby would likely die. Using a CT scan of Kaiba’s trachea and bronchus, researchers developed the design for a bronchus splint with digital imaging software. Next, the splint was printed using a biopolymer material called polycaprolactone. The splint was surgically placed over Kaiba’s airway to expand his bronchus and support its growth.



“It was amazing. As soon as the splint was put in, the lungs started going up and down for the first time and we knew he was going to be OK,” Green said in a press release. The splint is bioresorbable, meaning that Kaiba’s body will break it down over time. Bioresorbable implants offer some advantages over stents made from artificial materials, such as eliminating the need for removal once Kaiba’s bronchus becomes strong enough to function on its own.



For Kaiba, the splint will dissolve in about three years. More than a year after his surgery, Kaiba’s parents say he is doing well. “Kaiba’s case is definitely the highlight of my career so far,” Hollister said in a press release. “To actually build something that a surgeon can use to save a person’s life? It’s a tremendous feeling.”