3 boys saved by customized airway tube made on 3-D printer

In a striking example of how 3-D printers could customize medical care, doctors turned powdered plastic into tiny devices that saved the lives of three baby boys by holding open defective airways so they could breathe — and the implants even expanded as the tots grew. These experimental airway splints actually change shape over time, adding what researchers call a fourth dimension that is key for growing children as the implants first expand and later, when no longer needed, harmlessly dissolve. "We are using laser light to transform dust into medical devices that change how the body develops," said lead researcher Dr. Glenn Green, a pediatric ear, nose and throat...