Ramiah Martin, "is nothing short of a miracle," according to her mother. ((Photo contributed by Leanne Martin via Georgia Tech))ATLANTA - Life-saving research at the Georgia Institute of Technology is providing children born with a rare developmental abnormality a chance at life.
Researchers in the lab of Dr. Scott Hollister at Georgia Tech developed a 3D-printed tracheal splint that creates an airway for children born without a trachea, or windpipe.
The splint, called the Airway Support Device, is made of a biodegradable substance called polycaprolactone. The device was implanted in a child at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital shortly after her birth.The child, Ramiah Martin, was born in December 2017.
Doctors diagnosed her with heart problems during a prenatal ultrasound before discovering she also had this rare condition, which is called tracheal agenesis.