Khaberni - A medical team in Chicago, led by Dr. Ankit Bharat from Northwestern Medicine, managed for the first time to keep a patient alive for a full 48 hours after removing both lungs due to severe influenza complications that caused rapid respiratory failure.
Bharat explained that the procedure faced two main challenges related to the role of the lungs in the body: the first is related to the right side of the heart that pumps blood to the lungs, as the lungs act as a cushion that reduces pressure on the heart, and when the lungs are removed, the heart faces significant pressure leading to the expansion of the right side and heart muscle failure.
The second problem is related to the blood pumped by the right side to the lungs, which returns laden with oxygen to the left side of the heart. Without the lungs, the amount of oxygenated blood decreases, weakening the left side, leading to valve debilitation and the formation of blood clots, according to the medical team's clarification.
The journal (Med) published a report explaining in detail how the team used an integrated artificial lung system, which relies on innovative tubing and conversions to solve the problems and maintain normal heart function in the absence of the lungs.
Bharat affirmed that the system was specifically designed to prevent any cardiac collapse during the absence of the lungs, adding: "One day after the removal of the lungs, the patient’s body began to respond positively with the disappearance of the infection, and he managed to endure for a full 48 hours before undergoing a lung transplantation."
During that period, the patient's condition improved enough to undergo a successful transplant operation, and more than two years later, he managed to return to his normal life with excellent lung function.
Bharat pointed out that the success of this experiment represents a practical model that could contribute to saving other patients facing complete loss of lungs or acute respiratory failure, providing emergency solutions before transplantation.
