Innovative Surgery Saves Patient’s Life After Lung Removal
Surgeons at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago have achieved a remarkable medical feat by keeping a critically ill patient alive for 48 hours after removing both of his lungs. The hospital shared news of this extraordinary case last week.
The patient, a 33-year-old from Missouri, was brought to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in spring 2023 due to serious lung failure caused by a flu infection. His condition worsened, leading to severe pneumonia and sepsis. At one point, his heart stopped, and medical staff had to perform CPR to revive him.
Dr. Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery and executive director of the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute, explained that the patient had developed an antibiotic-resistant lung infection that caused his lungs to deteriorate significantly. This infection had spread throughout his body, necessitating immediate action.
Removing both lungs posed a significant risk of immediate heart failure, as Dr. Bharat noted, “The lungs act as a ‘shock absorber’ for the right side of the heart. Without them, the heart could fail quickly.” Without proper blood flow from the lungs, serious complications could arise in the heart’s left chambers.
While the patient was placed on life support, the medical team created a “total artificial lung system” (TAL) to take over the crucial process of oxygenating blood and maintaining circulation until they could perform a transplant.
The TAL allowed the patient’s heart to control blood flow naturally, rather than relying on a machine. Remarkably, just one day after the lungs were removed, the patient’s health began improving.
After 48 hours on this system, the patient was stable enough for a double lung transplant. Today, two years later, he has returned to his everyday life, exhibiting strong lung and heart function.
“This is the first successful use of this system,” Dr. Bharat remarked. “The patient is doing remarkably well and has gained functional independence.”
The medical team detailed their findings in a case study published recently, highlighting the extensive damage and scarring in the removed lungs, signaling that transplantation may be the only solution in severe cases of acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Researchers are hopeful that the TAL system could become a viable option for patients awaiting lung transplants, especially for those suffering from severe conditions like acute respiratory distress syndrome, necrotizing pneumonia, or septic shock.
Dr. Bharat expressed ambitions for the future, hoping to develop long-lasting artificial lungs for patients, providing a sustainable solution beyond just a bridge to transplantation.
