The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
-
J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Mar 2020
Preclinical evaluation of a pediatric airway stent for tracheobronchomalacia.
We sought to demonstrate in an animal model that helical stents made from a nickel titanium alloy called nitinol (NiTi) and designed for malacic airways could be delivered and removed without significant trauma while minimally impeding mucus clearance during the period of implantation. ⋯ Helical nitinol stents designed to provide radial support for malacic airways were well tolerated in a porcine model, providing for mucus clearance while also enabling atraumatic removal.