ORLANDO — Sixteen-month-old Garrett Peterson’s airways collapsed daily.

Peterson was born with bronchomalacia, weak cartilage in the walls of the bronchial tubes, and had spent his entire life at the University of Utah Hospital on a high-pressure ventilator to keep him alive.

Meanwhile, at the University of Michigan, biomedical engineer Scott Hollister had  developed a 3D printed splint that could absorb into the body over time but could hold open airways in newborns for two to three years; it was enough time for the bronchial cartilage to reform into healthy airways.

While still a risk, Garrett’s parents — Jake and Natalie — had their baby flown by an intensive care unit plane to the University of Michigan. After a successful operation, their son was able to be taken off the ventilator and go home.

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