The American team led by Dr. Glenn Grenn, Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Michigan Children’s Hospital, was granted emergency FDA [1] authorisation to implant a prosthetic trachea in three babies aged 3, 5 and 16 months. These prostheses were tailor-made using a 3D printer.
These children who suffer from a severe form of tracheomalaciawere saved thanks to this “splint which was stitched around the defective trachea and allowed the patients to breathe normally“, explained Dr. Grenn in a press release. “It is specifically designed to change shape over time to allow for a child’s growth“.
The first of the three children who underwent surgery in 2012 is three years old now and leads a normal life.
Notwithstanding the success of the operation, ” scientists believe that they need to guarantee the safety of this medical procedure before making it generally available” and consider other clinical trials.
[1] American Federal Drug Agency.
Sciences et Avenir (Lise Loumé) 06/05/2015