Case Study: University of Michigan achieves life‑saving airway restoration for an infant with Materialise’s 3D‑printed bioresorbable splint

Groundbreaking 3D Printed Splint Restores a Baby’s Breathing

The University of Michigan confronted a life‑threatening pediatric airway problem when baby Kaiba suffered severe tracheobronchomalacia and repeated bronchial collapse that left him stopping breathing. To create a patient‑specific solution, clinicians used high‑resolution CT and image‑based modeling with Materialise’s Mimics Innovation Suite to design and size a custom bioresorbable tracheal splint ready for 3D printing.

Materialise‑supported image processing and CAD enabled the team to produce a polycaprolactone splint that was surgically implanted; Kaiba was off ventilator support 21 days after the procedure and has had no further breathing episodes, while the device gradually resorbs over about two to three years. Materialise’s role in the imaging and design workflow helped translate a bespoke 3D‑printed implant into a documented, measurable clinical recovery reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.

University of Michigan

Glenn Green

Associate Professor of Pediatric Otolaryngology