U.S. Medical Team Achieves Breakthrough with Two-Day Lungless Survival, Paving Way for Transplant Innovations
In a groundbreaking medical achievement, doctors at Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute in Chicago successfully kept a critically ill patient alive for two days without lungs. The patient, suffering from severe lung disease, underwent a procedure where both lungs were removed to halt a life-threatening infection. During this period, an external system, referred to as a 'total artificial lung,' maintained the patient's oxygenation and blood circulation. This system, which is an advanced form of extracorporeal life-support technology, allowed the patient to stabilize until a double lung transplant could be performed. The patient, now in his mid-30s, has returned to normal life with excellent lung function, nearly three years post-surgery. 
