Anna Hartz
Sometimes, a simple illness can become life-threatening in ways most people cannot imagine.
A flu infection can spiral out of control and destroy the lungs. In extreme cases, doctors must take extraordinary measures to save a life. That is what happened in Chicago, where a 33-year-old man faced death from severe lung infection.
Removed Both His Lungs
The man initially had the flu. It quickly developed into a deadly lung infection. His organs started failing, and his heart stopped when he arrived at the hospital. A double lung transplant was his only chance, writes Videnskab.
Doctors made a large incision across his chest, called a clamshell cut. They removed both lungs. But the infection had left his body too weak to handle a transplant immediately. To keep him alive, they connected his heart and major blood vessels to a machine that acted as artificial lungs. The system oxygenated his blood while his body recovered.
The surgeons added balloons and sponges inside the empty chest to stabilize his heart. He stayed like this for two days. After his body recovered enough, donor lungs became available, and doctors performed a successful double lung transplant. Today, two years later, the man is alive and well.
Alive Without Lungs
The method used is called a Total Artificial Lung (TAL). Blood is pumped out of the body through thick tubes. An oxygenator in the machine adds oxygen and removes carbon dioxide. A special shunt reroutes blood around the lungs to prevent heart failure. Balloons and protective layers keep the heart safe inside the chest.
This system allows doctors to remove infected lungs safely and stabilize patients who would otherwise die. Surgeons can then transplant healthy lungs once the patient is ready.
The team also used molecular mapping to confirm the man’s lungs were permanently damaged. They found the repair cells were gone and scar tissue had taken over. This technique helps doctors decide which patients truly need a transplant.
Experts note that while the method is life-saving, it is risky. It requires highly specialized hospitals, quick access to donor lungs, and careful patient selection. In Denmark, for example, hospitals perform only 30–40 lung transplants a year.
The procedure is groundbreaking but challenging. It shows how far medicine can go when faced with impossible odds, turning a near-certain death into survival.
Sources: Videnskab
