Archive · 30 Jan 2026
Man Survives 48 Hours Without Lungs
A 33-year-old man was very sick because of a bad lung infection.
His lungs were so damaged that doctors had to take them out.
But instead of using regular machines, they used a special artificial lung system to keep his blood oxygenated.
This system helped his heart stay safe and his body function normally until new lungs were available for a transplant.
After two days, he got new lungs and is now living a normal life.
This is a big deal because usually, people can't survive this long without lungs.
The doctors who did this are very happy with the results and think it could help other people in the future.
A 33-year-old patient survived 48 hours without lungs using an artificial lung system.
The patient had severe lung infection leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and bacterial pneumonia.
Doctors removed the damaged lungs and used a unique artificial lung system to oxygenate blood and maintain heart function.
The patient's condition improved after lung removal, and he received a double lung transplant two days later.
More than two years later, the patient has good lung function and has returned to daily life.
- Who
- A 33-year-old patient with severe lung infection
- What
- Survived 48 hours without lungs using an artificial lung system
- When
- The procedure was performed and findings were published recently
- Where
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
- Why
- To save the patient's life due to irrecoverable lung damage from infection
- Patient Age
- 33 years old
- Surgeon
- Dr. Ankit Bharat
- Institution
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
- Procedure Duration
- 48 hours
- Condition
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and bacterial pneumonia
- Outcome
- Successful double lung transplant and recovery
- Publication
- Nature and Med journal