US EditionNorthwestern Surgeons Keep Man Alive 48 Hours Without Lungs Using Artificial System
A 33-year-old man survived 48 hours without lungs using an artificial lung system developed by Northwestern surgeons before receiving a double lung transplant.
- On January 29, the journal Med reported a 33-year-old man survived 48 hours without lungs while an external artificial-lung system supported his circulation and oxygenation.
- The patient developed acute respiratory distress syndrome triggered by influenza virus worsened by bacterial pneumonia including drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, leading to septic shock and heart and kidney failure.
- Bharat's team engineered an external artificial-lung system that oxygenated blood, removed carbon dioxide, and maintained stable blood flow through the heart, reducing clot risk compared with prior extracorporeal devices.
- Two days later, donor lungs became available and surgeons performed a double lung transplant, with the patient returning to daily life and good lung function more than two years later.
- Molecular analysis showed widespread scarring and immune damage in removed lungs, indicating irreversible tissue damage, and Ankit Bharat said this provides proof that some patients with severe ARDS need transplants while the approach remains limited to highly specialized centers.
44 Articles
44 Articles
Artificial Lungs Keep Man Alive for Two Days Before Transplant
Surgeons at Northwestern Medicine perform a life-saving procedure. Credit: Northwestern Medicine Surgeons have reported a rare medical case in which artificial lungs kept a man alive for two days after doctors removed both of his diseased lungs, buying crucial time until donor organs became available. The case was led by Ankit Bharat, a lung transplant surgeon, and was published Jan. 29 in the medical journal Med. Researchers say the case shows …
A 33-year-old man survived 48 hours without lungs in the United States thanks to an unprecedented medical procedure developed by Northwestern University specialists. The patient remained alive while doctors were fighting a fulminant infection and awaiting the arrival of compatible organs for a double lung transplant. The case occurred in 2023 and the results were published on January 29 in the scientific journal Med of the Cell Press group. The …
A medical team managed to keep a 33-year-old man alive for 48 hours without lungs until it was possible to perform a double lung transplant, according to a study published in the magazine Med de Cell Press, collected by the German media Deutsche Welle. The feat was made possible by the introduction of an extracorporeal lung system, designed as a temporary “lifebridge” to replace the functions of the lungs. Read also...
MedPage Today
Anti-Aging, Acupuncture and Health NewsAn Infection 'Melted' a Man's Lungs. This Novel ECMO Strategy Helped Keep Him Alive.
(MedPage Today) -- In a patient whose lungs liquefied due to infection, a novel "total artificial lung" approach provided extracorporeal support until donor organs became available for bilateral lung transplantation, researchers reported. The...
One patient survived two days at the interval between the removal of the patient lungs and the time when it became healthy for transplantation.
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