3D Printing Miracles: A Model For Saving Lives

3D printing is an industry expanding into seemingly every other industry.  Architects are beginning to create 3D printed buildings.  3D artists are able to have their figurines and 3D doodles printed into reality and sold through sites like Shapeways.  Miraculously doctors are able to print little life savers.  I’m not talking about miniature candies (mmmm pineapple life savers yumm!) but rather 3D printing miracles.  Miracle Max level miracles that can save lives for such a noble cause as the true love a parent has for their child.

While most parents are usually worrying about how to get their new born children to sleep better through the night, or how they will teach them good nutrition as a cornerstone of preventative healthcare (could happen).  There are some parents who have to worry about their own child’s ability to breath.  At six weeks old Kaiba Gionfriddo was in a restaurant with his family when he turned blue.  Two weeks later a breathing tube had to be inserted in order to facilitate the inflation of both of Kaiba’s lungs.  Kaiba was suffering from tracheobronchomalacia, which in his case was a collapse of an airway to one of his lungs.

Kaiba’s doctors decided to consult with Dr. Glenn E. Green, M.D. , associate professor of pediatric otolaryngology (Ear Nose and Throat), from the University of Michigan.  Dr. Green in turn then consulted with his University of Michigan colleague Dr. Scott Hollister, Ph.D., professor of bio-medical engineering.  Using a CT scan to accurately create a 3D version of Kaiba’s respiratory tract the two doctors were able to design a splint that would help reinforce the collapsed airway and restore breathing.

The ability to customize a medical aid to fit directly with a patient’s body through tomography scans is an incredible leap forward for medicine.  To be able to see and produce exactly what is needed for an individual’s body should help to increase success rates of similar procedures.  After designing the splint that they would surgically be implanting into Kaiba’s bronchial tract, they had to come up with a way to safely remove the splint.  This turned out to be a solution presented by material choice.  The doctors created the splint out of bioresorbable material, which means it can be broken down and absorbed by the body.  In this case the splint should be absorbed after three years time.

 

This combination of technology is all very cutting edge, and as such is very experimental.  I order to legally be able to complete the procedure the doctors consulted with the Food and Drug Administration and they received permission to proceed under an emergency exemption status.  The parents provided a written consent, and miraculously it all came together so that Kaiba could breathe again.  After 21 days Kaiba was able to be taken off the ventilator entirely, discharged, and able to go home with his family.

Just like in the 3D art and film VFX industries, collaboration between all parties involved was vital to the success of the procedure.  Through a combination of 3D scanning, 3D Design, 3D Printing, Bio-medical engineering, and surgery, a miracle was made, a life was saved, and a family was kept whole.  It is amazing to think that we have started 3D printing miracles.