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Biomedical Engineering Institute and Faculty of Dentistry help Cleft Patients with Innovative Stents

5 June 2020
Corporate Communication and Alumni Relations Center (CCARC)
CMU’s Biomedical Engineering Institute together with the Cleft Center, Faculty of Dentistry, have created a customized Nasal Stent, “CMU DONE” (devices for the nose) in order to restore the natural look of the nose and lips after surgery. It is a device that is easy to use and that is tailored made to fit into the front of the nasal cavity of each patient’s nose.

Work started in September 2019 and since early October 2019 more than 40 “CMU DONE” stents have been used in patients. The design and creation of each piece starts with making a 3D printed form of the patients’ nasal cavities by a team of dentists and staff from the Biomedical Engineering Institute.

A hole is punched into the stent to allow for breathing and the shape is adjusted with the aid of a computer program to ensure it is suitable the patient’s nose.

The stents are made from Elastomer polymer which can be used in a 3D printing machine, is safe for the body, more flexible than resin or a general polymer and is better than silicone which was previously the preferred material to use.

With the use of digital data and 3D printing the process for creating a stent is fast, the patient can come in the morning for measurements, it can be produced in a few hours and can be delivered to the patient in the afternoon of the same day. This convenience is extended to aftercare as patient can be monitored and have their follow up appointments online or by telephone.
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