In a medical feat that sounds straight out of a sci-fi movie, surgeons kept a patient alive for 48 hours without lungs using a revolutionary artificial system – buying critical time for a life-saving transplant. This 2023 case, recently detailed in journal Med, is now inspiring new hope for patients with catastrophic lung damage. 💡
When Lungs Become the Enemy
A 33-year-old man faced near-certain death in early 2023 after Influenza B triggered a sepsis nightmare – his lungs turned into infected, non-functional tissue. Standard ECMO machines couldn’t stabilize him through multiple organ failures and cardiac arrests.
The No-Lung Solution
Northwestern Medicine’s Dr. Ankit Bharat led the team that performed a radical double lung removal, then jury-rigged a custom Total Artificial Lung (TAL) system. This external circuit became the patient’s temporary circulatory system, filtering blood and oxygenating it like biological lungs would.
Transplant Tech’s New Frontier
The two-day window allowed antibiotics to clear the infection before donor lungs became available. While still experimental, this ‘bridge to transplant’ approach could redefine care for patients previously deemed too critical for surgery. Researchers are now working to miniaturize the technology for broader use.
