Custom machine kept man alive without lungs for 48 hours
5 days ago
- #artificial organs
- #medical innovation
- #lung transplant
- A 33-year-old man survived for 48 hours without lungs using a custom-engineered artificial lung device at Northwestern University.
- The artificial lung system, developed by surgeon Ankit Bharat, temporarily replaced the patient's pulmonary system, enabling a double lung transplant.
- The patient suffered from Influenza B and a severe Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, leading to necrotizing ARDS, where lung tissue liquefied.
- The patient was in refractory septic shock with failing kidneys and heart, making a transplant initially impossible.
- The artificial lung system provided a life-saving bridge, allowing the patient to stabilize and undergo a successful transplant.