Tracheomalacia is a condition characterized by weakened tracheal cartilage and muscles, impairing normal breathing by restricting the airway. This common congenital ailment often leads to significant airway collapse in newborns and infants. Traditional treatments, such as tracheal reconstruction, tracheoplasty, and stenting, can cause extensive and enduring damage to this vital organ. To counter these drawbacks, a group of scientists and surgeons has developed a novel approach: using a non-invasive adhesive hydrogel patch to wrap around and support the damaged trachea, thereby opening the airway.

A team of engineers at EPFL (Lausanne, Switzerland), in collaboration with pediatric airway surgeons at CHUV (Lausanne, Switzerland), developed the innovative adhesive hydrogel patch that promises to revolutionize the treatment of tracheomalacia. Hydrogel, a biocompatible and biodegradable soft material, has been extensively employed in biomedical fields. However, this was the first attempt to leverage its structural attributes for treating tracheomalacia. The team validated the efficacy of the hydrogel patch via numerical and animal models and demonstrated its ability to maintain the trachea's physiological shape, thanks to its strong mechanical properties and adhesion strength. For this purpose, new hydrogels are being synthesized to meet the demanding needs of a collapsed airway.

This successful demonstration of the adhesive hydrogel patch showcased its ability to adhere strongly to moist tracheal surfaces, providing structural support to a fully collapsed trachea even under negative pressure, increasing the volume by up to 50%. The positive results demonstrate the potential for the use of adhesive hydrogels as a new approach in the clinical treatment of tracheomalacia. The productive partnership between surgeons and engineers was key to this project which demanded meticulous attention to the specific needs of both the operating room and the laboratory. Achieving these remarkable results has required three years and hundreds of hydrogel formulations. Yet, both the surgeons and engineers remain committed to their objective of introducing a solution for tracheomalacia into surgical practice, aiming to provide pediatricians with a method to open the airways of newborns without the adverse impacts of invasive procedures.

"This research represents a significant step forward in addressing the challenges associated with tracheomalacia treatment," said Professor Dominique P. Pioletti, head of LBO, and lead researcher on the project. "The adhesive hydrogel patch we have developed in collaboration with the CHUV shows great promise in providing mechanical support to the trachea and preventing airway collapse."

“We are optimistic about this proof of concept, as the 50% increase in the opening of a completely collapsed trachea is enough to alleviate the severe symptoms of tracheomalacia,” added CHUV pediatric surgeon Dr. Kishore Sandu. 

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