A 34-year-old patient suffered from a lung infection caused by a strain of drug-resistant bacteria, prompting doctors in Chicago to perform an unusual procedure. Although medical specialists had a device capable of taking over the function of the lungs for a few days while the body cleared any remaining infection, there was no conventional way to fill the massive void left by the removal of the patient's lungs. Fortunately for patient David Bauer, his surgeons came up with the perfect solution: a pair of DD breast implants in place of his lungs.
Chief thoracic surgeon Ankit Barat told Jen Christensen from CNN, "We had to come up with a strategy to do something we've never done before." Bauer had been a heavy smoker daily since his early twenties and switched to vaping in 2014, believing like many that it was a healthier alternative. When he contracted the flu in April of this year, his lungs were not in a condition to cope, quickly leading to a secondary infection that no antibiotic seemed able to eradicate.
Due to severe shortness of breath, Bauer went to St. Louis Hospital, where the seriousness of his condition was quickly recognized. He was placed on ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) to take over the lung function of balancing blood gases, but it was clear that this procedure was insufficient. Rade Tomic, a pulmonary specialist at Northwestern Medicine, stated, "David's lungs were so severely damaged that they started to liquefy. If you looked at his X-rays, there was nothing left – both lungs were completely filled with pus. He needed to remove the infection before the transplant, but the only way to do that was to remove both lungs."
The internal anatomy resembles a well-filled bag, where each organ physically supports the positions of other organs. Some body systems might cope with the extra space, while others—like the cardiovascular system—rely on surrounding pressure to function. With no precedent for artificial lungs, the medical team had to think outside the chest box. They needed something flexible, sterile, and made from a material unlikely to react with the body's immune system.
As it turned out, breast implants met all the requirements. On May 28, Bauer's temporary breast implants were removed and replaced with a healthy set of lungs. After several months of rehabilitative treatment and recovery, Bauer regained his healthy life.
