Infection severely damaged a man's lungs; artificial lung kept him alive

A Missouri man developed severe lung failure after influenza and necrotizing pneumonia; doctors used an experimental artificial lung device and later performed a transplant, a procedure described in a new paper.

A patient from Missouri developed severe lung failure after an influenza infection that progressed to necrotizing pneumonia in May 2023. He was airlifted to Northwestern, where clinicians used an experimental artificial lung device to sustain him. The team subsequently performed a lung transplant in Chicago. A paper describing the artificial lung procedure was published in the journal Cell Press, with Bharat listed as first author. Key facts: - The patient was treated after rapid lung deterioration linked to influenza and necrotizing pneumonia. - Clinicians used an artificial lung device to support the patient before a transplant was performed in Chicago. - The case and the procedure are reported in a paper published in Cell Press, authored in part by Bharat. - Experts noted that cases this severe are uncommon and that the procedure may inform care for similar patients. Summary: The report describes an acute case of severe lung failure that required temporary mechanical support followed by transplantation. Undetermined at this time.