Doctors save 35-year-old's life with breast implants
Doctors in the USA are literally winning the race against time. They save a young man's life by breaking completely new ground and inserting chest implants instead of lungs - a case report.
Doctors have used chest implants to save the life of a man whose lungs were probably infected by multi-resistant germs and therefore had to be completely removed. The surgeons at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois used their newly developed procedure on their patient for the first time in May 2023. They also see a life-saving future for other people: "I think it (the new procedure - editor's note) will open many doors for many patients who have no other choice," said Ankit Bharat, Chief of Thoracic Surgery, in a statement from the hospital.
But what happened? David "Davey" Bauer was feeling poorly in April of this year. His condition quickly worsened. He develops shortness of breath and presents at a hospital in St. Louis. There he is diagnosed with influenza A. But that was not all. Both of the man's lungs are severely damaged by another infection, for which no antibiotics seem to help. Bauer is in a poor condition. The treating team therefore decides to connect the man to an ECMO, a machine that takes over the function of the lungs outside the body. The doctors want to buy the man time so that his condition can improve and he can ultimately be saved by a lung transplant.
Lungs cannot be saved
But "Davey's lungs are so badly infected that they have started to liquefy. When you looked at his X-ray, there was nothing left to see...," recalls Rade Tomic, pulmonologist and head of the lung transplant program at the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute. The 35-year-old would not have survived a transplant because of his condition. At the same time, the treating team was also aware that the infected lungs would have to be removed from the man's body as quickly as possible. "This was new territory for us, but our team knew that if we couldn't help Davey, no one else could," Tomic is quoted as saying.
The team quickly developed a strategy to save the patient's life. They decided to construct an "artificial lung" that could take over the work of the lungs. Instead of the lungs, chest implants were to be placed in the patient's chest cavity. These were to ensure that the patient's heart would remain in place even without the lungs. Beforehand, the operating doctors were advised by colleagues in plastic surgery on the most suitable implants.
Rapidly recognizable effect
The unusual and unconventional approach proved effective. Just one day after the infected lungs had been removed, the patient's condition improved so rapidly that he could be registered as a recipient for donor organs. Another day later, a suitable donor organ was found. During the operation on May 28, the implants were removed and the donor lung transplanted.
The patient had to recover in intensive care for several months after the transplant and was discharged from hospital at the end of September. Until his illness, David "Davey" Bauer was a healthy, young, active man from Mossouri. He worked in landscaping and enjoyed skateboarding and snowboarding. Davey had never been seriously ill before. He started smoking at the age of 21 and usually smoked a pack of cigarettes a day until he switched to vaping in 2014. "Vaping felt better and I thought it was the healthier alternative, but honestly I found it more addictive than cigarettes," said Bauer, who will continue to be monitored by his transplant team in Chicago for the next year.
After the successful breast implant procedure, doctors discussed the potential of utilizing similar techniques in other critical situations. For instance, they considered the use of chest implants in cases where lungs are severely damaged and unsuitable for transplantation due to infections like multi-resistant germs. (Education: medical research and advancement, Health: lung infections, Organ donation: lung transplants, Medicine: medical procedures)
The story of Davey Bauer's life-saving treatment sparked conversations about the importance of organ donation, especially in scenarios where traditional methods fail. The innovative use of chest implants could extend the window for organ donation, potentially saving lives of people who would have no other option. (Education: medical research and advancement, Health: organ donation, Organ donation: critical situations, Medicine: medical procedures)
Source: www.ntv.de
