On 13 March 2019, Professor Tshifularo performed three middleear transplants using 3D-printed ossicles (the hammer, anvil and stirrup). This procedure is significantly less risky than the use of prostheses and their associated surgical procedures and is hailed as the answer to conductive hearing loss, a middle-ear problem caused by congenital birth defects, infection, trauma or metabolic disease. The surgery further aims to simplify the reconstruction of ossicles during middle-ear procedures and reduce the risks associated with traditional surgery, which include the potential for facial nerve paralysis.