Bioresorbable Airway Splint Created with a Three-Dimensional Printer

Abstract

Tracheobronchomalacia in newborns, which manifests with dynamic airway collapse and respiratory insufficiency, is difficult to treat.^1,2 In an infant with tracheobronchomalacia, we implanted a customized, bioresorbable tracheal splint, created with a computer-aided design based on a computed tomographic image of the patient's airway and fabricated with the use of laser-based three-dimensional printing, to treat this life-threatening condition.