A 33 year old man in the United States (US) managed to survive for 48 hours without lungs. This rare medical case occurred thanks to an artificial lung system specially designed to replace the organ’s function temporarily, until a lung donor is available.
This story was reported by the SciTech Daily page based on research published in the journal Med.
A team of doctors led by thoracic surgeons from Northwestern University in the US explained that this procedure is a new hope for patients with very severe lung damage.
It started with the flu
The patient initially only had a cold. However, his condition deteriorated rapidly after contracting bacterial pneumonia.
He was diagnosed with severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), a condition where severe inflammation causes the lungs to fill with fluid and be unable to supply oxygen effectively.
Severe lung damage causes other organs to be affected. His heart and kidneys began to fail. In fact, the patient’s heart had stopped when he arrived at the hospital so the medical team had to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Doctors concluded that his only remaining chance of survival was a double lung transplant. However, the patient’s body condition was too unstable to immediately undergo transplant surgery.
It was discovered that the patient’s lungs could no longer be saved. Severe infections cause permanent damage to lung tissue and continue to spread the infection throughout the body.
Usually, lung transplants are performed on patients with chronic diseases such as interstitial lung disease.
In severe cases of ARDS, many hope that the lungs can recover with intensive treatment. However, the results of a molecular examination of the patient’s lungs showed extensive scarring and immune damage that was unlikely to heal. This means that without a transplant, the patient will almost certainly not survive.
Artificial Lungs
To allow time for recovery before the transplant, the team of doctors took steps to completely remove both of the patient’s lungs. As a temporary substitute, doctors use an artificial lung support system. This tool is capable of:
- Adds oxygen to the blood
- Removes carbon dioxide
- Maintain circulation so that the heart can still pump blood effectively
For a full 48 hours, the patient lived without lungs in his body. This artificial system supports vital functions until blood pressure stabilizes, other organs return to work, until the infection is controlled.
Two days later, a suitable lung donor finally became available. The medical team immediately performed a double lung transplant.
Return to Normal Life
More than two years after surgery, the patient was reported to have returned to normal activities with good lung function.
This case also provides the first biological evidence based on molecular examination that in some ARDS patients, lung transplantation should be considered early. Otherwise, life opportunities may be lost.
However, complex procedures like this can currently only be carried out in hospitals with very specialized facilities and teams. The researchers hope that in the future more standardized devices will be available so that more patients with catastrophic lung failure can be saved while waiting for an organ donor.
This man’s case proves that under certain conditions, living without lungs is naturally impossible—but that doesn’t mean it’s medically impossible. (SciTech Daily/Z-1)
