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Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Science sidebar

So I recently saw this press release from the University of Michigan Health System, about an infant's life saved with a custom 3-D printed polymer splint implanted in her collapsing airway.


[Dr. Glen] Green and his colleague, Scott Hollister, Ph.D., professor of biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering and associate professor of surgery at U-M, went right into action, obtaining emergency clearance from the Food and Drug Administration to create and implant a tracheal splint for Kaiba made from a biopolymer called polycaprolactone.

On February 9, 2012, the specially-designed splint was placed in Kaiba at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. The splint was sewn around Kaiba’s airway to expand the bronchus and give it a skeleton to aid proper growth. Over about three years, the splint will be reabsorbed by the body. 

 Remember polycaprolactone?...

Apparently Instant Mold CAN do anything ;)

3 comments:

  1. Can it prove that Mars Squirrel is real? Can it? Didn't think so.

    Pretty cool stuff though.

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    Replies
    1. I'd never even heard of Mars Squirrel until just now. So I guess, no it can't. That is some interesting pareidolia though.

      Delete
  2. speechless... we debate a lot about 3D printing at the art school but that was out of this world. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

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