Saint Francis Hospital is First in Connecticut to Place Custom Airway Stent

Individually designed for each patient, the device is used for patients with narrowing of the airway that causes breathing impairment

HARTFORD, Conn. (July 31, 2025) – Saint Francis Hospital recently became the first in Connecticut to utilize a custom silicone airway stent, a state-of-the-art solution for patients with central airway obstruction. Amrita Karambelkar, M.D., Assistant Director of Interventional Pulmonology, collaborated with VisionAir Solutions to design and produce the device, which was tailored to meet the unique anatomical requirements of the patient, ensuring a more precise and comfortable fit.

Utilizing web-based software and 3D printing technology, custom stents can be designed for patients with conditions that have caused a narrowing of the airway and impair breathing and quality of life. Previously, non-custom airway stents have been available for patients, but have pre-determined sizes and angles, making them difficult to fit complicated airways.

After a patient is identified as being a candidate for a custom stent, a CT scan is performed and uploaded to the VisionAir Solutions V3D Stent Architect software. A virtual 3D model of the airway is created, and software tools allow the physician to design a stent specific to the patient’s unique anatomical characteristics. The approved stent is manufactured by VisionAir in Cleveland, delivered to the physician within 4-6 days and placed via rigid bronchoscopy. Dr. Karambelkar has advanced training in rigid bronchoscopy, allowing her to offer this high level of specialty care to patients in the greater Hartford region.

“We are now able to give patients a much higher quality of life,” said Dr. Karambelkar. “This procedure is improving on a specialty we already have, but by making it more individualized for each patient, we are providing an innovative solution for those who need it.”

Custom stents are another way the Interventional Pulmonology team at Saint Francis Hospital is revolutionizing care for patients with lung and airway conditions. To learn more about the conditions treated and procedures offered at Saint Francis, visit TrinityHealthOfNE.org/IP.

About Saint Francis Hospital

Saint Francis Hospital has been an anchor institution in Connecticut since 1897. Saint Francis is a member of Trinity Health Of New England and Trinity Health, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation. Saint Francis Hospital, a Level 1 Trauma Center, is a 617-bed hospital, a major teaching hospital, and the largest Catholic hospital in New England. Other Saint Francis entities include the Comprehensive Women’s Health Center, the Connecticut Joint Replacement Institute, the Hoffman Heart and Vascular Institute of Connecticut, the Smilow Cancer Hospital Yale-New Haven at Saint Francis, Trinity Health Of New England Medical Group, and Community Health and Well Being, which includes the Curtis D. Robinson Center for Health Equity, the Joan C. Dauber Food Pantry, and the Greater Hartford Family Advocacy Center. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @SaintFrancisCT

About Get With The Guidelines

Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospitalbased quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 12 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.