Korean doctors and researchers have successfully used an artificial object made with a 3D printer for a face transplant. 
 
Doctors Lee Jong-won and Kim Seong-won at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital and Professor Jo Dong-woo at Pohang University of Science and Technology say they developed a support structure for the respiratory tract using 3D print technology. The transplant was made on a six-year-old boy from Mongolia with a face deformity.
 
The boy was born without a nose and respiratory tract, a very rare deformity. In most cases, these infants die within 12 months because they cannot breathe well.
 
The Korean team first tried to create a nose and respiratory tract for the boy who came to Korea in April. But the airway kept getting clogged, so the team thought of transplanting a support or a stent made with the 3D print technology.
 
The hospital says 3D printer-enabled transplants are rare around the world and it's the first of its kind in Korea.
 
The researchers named the developed stent for the respiratory tract after the boy's name and plan to apply for a patent.