Patients suffering from bone cancer in the ribs, or lung cancer that has spread into the inner portion of the chest, require a resection of the thoracic wall. An artificial device has been designed by the Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Malta to reconstruct the chest wall: preventing lung collapse whilst resuming normal breathing.
Chest wall reconstruction can be complicated and surgeons are sometimes limited by the available tools and products on the market. Problems associated with artificial implants include lack of fixation strength between the device and the native rib, the inability to accommodate different defect sizes and hindering the patients’ appearance and comfort.
The RiBridge addresses these issues in an off-the-shelf kit of artificial rib implants which offer improved fixation and ergonomic fit. The implants are suppled in a kit of 3 devices of different lengths to accommodate different defect sizes without the need for adjustment during surgery.
For more information about this project, contact Dr Ing. Philip Farrugia.