In his 18 months of life, Garrett Peterson has never gone home, spending his days in hospital beds tethered to ventilators that even at the highest settings couldn’t prevent his breathing from periodically stopping.
Garrett is just the second person whose life was saved with a new, bioresorbable device developed at the University of Michigan by Glenn Green, M.D., associate professor of pediatric otolaryngology and Scott Hollister, Ph.D., professor of biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering and associate professor of surgery at U-M.
Hollister and Green used provisions for emergency clearance from the Food and Drug Administration to create and implant a tracheal splint for Garrett made from a biopolymer called polycaprolactone. Hollister was able to make the custom-designed, custom-fabricated device using high-resolution imaging and computer-aided design. The device was created directly from a CT scan of Garrett’s trachea and bronchi, integrating an image-based computer model with laser-based 3D printing to produce the splint.
The revolution in personalized medicine and customized prosthetics has been occurring at breathtaking speed. Dr. Gemoules has pioneered the application of modern imaging and computer-aided design technologies to personalized vision and mini-scleral lenses. The full story of Garrett Peterson and his personalized 3D printed tracheal splints can be read here: Full Story
