Nathan Glazier

Nathan Glazier was a patient with HLHS who received a 3D printed conduit.

Synthetic Conduit Failure
Nathan was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. He had a synthetic conduit placed, but his body rejected it. After his SATs fell, he was moved to the PICU. His parents were told that they'd try treating his rejection with medication, but if that didn't work, they'd have to take out the conduit and place a new one.

Printed Conduit
Because of the risk that he'd reject a second synthetic conduit, Shane found research from Japan in which they were 3D printing conduits and seeding them with the patient's own cells to remove the chance of rejection. However, Cristina rejected the idea because it was too experimental. Shane asked her to consider it if he started the ground work with the FDA. Cristina later rejected the idea outright, but Shane pressured her to reconsider. After Nathan went into heart failure, she decided to try the printing. ("Two Against One")

While they were waiting for his new conduit to finish printing, Nathan developed severe edema, which they treated with diuretics and beta blockers. The day he was supposed to have his conduit implanted, they discovered that it was contaminated and it would take another day to print a new one. They had to put him on an oscillator in order to give them the remaining time they needed to finish the printing. ("Somebody That I Used to Know")

Because of the interest in Nathan's surgery, Owen asked the Glaziers for their consent to live-stream his surgery for people to watch. They were reluctant because they wanted the focus to be on Nathan, not on putting on a show. Cristina assured them that her focus would only be on Nathan.

They took Nathan into surgery, where they worked on him while his printed conduit was going through its final testing. Once the conduit was ready, she placed it. When he started to decline, Cristina instructed them to stop filming. After his surgery was completed, he was put back on the oscillator, but they said they hoped to be able to move him back to a normal ventilator if he could oxygenate. Soon after, they were able to take him off the oscillator. The conduit was working ("Man on the Moon")

Recovery
At a press conference, Cristina discussed Nathan's case. She said he was responding well and she hoped he would continue to thrive. ("Get Up, Stand Up")

Cristina later received a picture of Nathan from his mother, home from the hospital and healthy. ("Take It Back")

Familial
Nathan was supposed to be the first person in his family to go to college. ("Somebody That I Used to Know")

Notes and Trivia

 * He was nine months old when his printed conduit was placed. ("Man on the Moon")