Tech Triumph: How 3D Printed Trachea Gave a Four-Year-Old a New Lease on Life

Justice Altidore, a four-year-old girl, can now look forward to starting preschool with the same excitement as any other child her age. This was made possible by a revolutionary piece of biotechnology from Georgia Tech: a 3D-printed tracheal splint. Developed in collaboration with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, this innovation has successfully treated Justice's rare congenital windpipe abnormality. Tracheomalacia (TM), the most common genetic birth defect affecting the windpipe, impacts about 1 in 2,100 newborns. Justice is one of four young patients whose lives have been transformed by this cutting-edge solution, recently celebrating her 4th birthday with her twin sister.When the trachea, or windpipe, has weak or floppy cartilage, the walls of the windpipe collapse, and breathing becomes difficult. This condition is known as TM. A kid with TM will often experience respiratory difficulties and need to be placed on a ventilator throughout their early years. Treatment outcomes are by no means guaranteed. The bioabsorbable substance of the Georgia Tech splints holds the trachea in place like how a medical professional would splint a bone. Eventually, the splints are absorbed and the cartilage grows. Drs. Steven Goudy, a pediatric otolaryngologist, and Kevin Maher, a pediatric cardiologist, oversaw Altidore and three other kids while they received customized tracheal splints as part of an FDA-approved expanded access experiment. The respiratory capacities of all four have significantly improved, and the remarkable outcomes imply that a new era in the treatment of the narrow field has begun. The application of 3D printing to aid with tracheal healing is not new.Spreading Smiles Across ~ (Source: Google Images) GNN revealed in March that a biotech business had created the world's first and only bio-3D printed windpipe, which had been successfully implanted into a human body. To create the windpipe or trachea, nasal stem cells, and cartilage cells from patients who had prior surgeries performed were collected, reproduced, and mixed with PCL (polycaprolactone) for structural support and a unique ink made from live cells. A 50-year-old lady who had her thyroid surgically removed and had lost a portion of her trachea had the transplant treatment at St. Mary's Hospital in Seoul. T&R Biofab supplied the unique 3D printer, which was created after more than ten years of testing and research.