Washington: Scientists have for the first time successfully implanted a groundbreaking 3D-printed device to save the lives of three babies in the US suffering from a life-threatening condition that prevents normal breathing.

All the three babies had the same life-threatening condition: a terminal form of tracheobronchomalacia, which causes the windpipe to periodically collapse and prevents normal breathing. There was no cure and life-expectancies were grim, researchers said.