A Novel Tracheal Stent

To reduce complications with current endotracheal stents, we have designed, prototyped, and tested the Hole-Punch Stent. This silicone-based stent incorporates a nitinol wire to maintain patency of the airway, an open channel to reduce mucostasis and restenosis, and strategically placed holes to reduce stent migration. The stent can be rolled up to allow for easy deployment with flexible bronchoscopy. The stent is modular, in that the design can be adapted to different sizes and the final product will accommodate patients with tracheal diameters between 14 millimeters and 25 millimeters. The stent that we tested had an inner diameter of 18 millimeters and an outer diameter of 22 millimeters in order to model stents used for an average to large trachea. The mechanical properties of the stent were tested against industry standards. Pressure tests were also conducted in an ex vivo porcine tracheal model to optimize the stent for in vivo testing. Future large animal testing will reveal the effectiveness of our biologically focused mechanical design in reducing complications for patients with endotracheal stenosis who rely on airway stent technology to breathe.