Case Study: Children’s Hospital of Minnesota achieves growth-adaptable 3D-printed pediatric airway stents with Carbon

3D printed airway stents for the pediatric population

Children’s Hospital of Minnesota confronted pediatric bronchomalacia, a condition where adult airway stents are too large and growing children require successive, size-appropriate replacements to avoid repeated hospitalizations. To address this, researchers partnered with Carbon, leveraging Carbon’s Digital Light Synthesis™ technology and SIL 30 material to explore 3D‑printed airway stents tailored for the pediatric airway.

Using Carbon’s M Series printers and SIL 30, the team produced small, smooth, isotropic stents with low durometer and sufficient radial compression, enabling an iterative design process that delivered multiple device sizes and supported different deployment techniques. Carbon’s solution yielded durable, flexible stents now advanced to preclinical testing and offers a customizable, replaceable approach that could reduce hospital stays and the need for repeated invasive procedures as children grow.

Children’s Hospital of Minnesota

Robroy MacIver

Congenital Heart Surgeon