When his condition escalated to severe pneumonia and sepsis, his heart stopped and the team performed CPR, according to a press release on the case.<\/p>\n
GIRL WITH HEART FAILURE CALLS DAD WITH LIFE-CHANGING MESSAGE AFTER 200-DAY HOSPITAL STAY<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “He had developed an infection of his lungs that just could not be treated with any antibiotics<\/a> because it was resistant to everything,” said Ankit Bharat, M.D., chief of thoracic surgery and executive director of the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute. “That infection caused his lungs to liquify and then continued to progress to the rest of his body.”<\/p>\n The lungs needed to be removed<\/a> to stop the spread of infection, but there was a dangerous risk of immediate heart failure.<\/p>\n “He had developed an infection of his lungs that just could not be treated with any antibiotics because it was resistant to everything,” said Ankit Bharat, M.D., chief of thoracic surgery and executive director of the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute (pictured). (Northwestern Medicine)<\/p>\n “The lungs act as a \u2018shock absorber\u2019 for the right side of the heart; when you remove them, the heart pumps against high resistance and can fail instantly,” Bharat told Fox News Digital.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Another critical danger is that without blood flowing from the lungs to the left heart, the left heart chambers can collapse or form deadly clots.”<\/p>\n MAN RECEIVES WORLD’S FIRST PIG LUNG TRANSPLANT IN GROUNDBREAKING MEDICAL PROCEDURE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n While the man remained on life support, the medical team designed a “total artificial lung system” (TAL) that took over gas exchange (oxygenation and CO\u2082 removal) and maintained blood flow<\/a> to the heart in hopes that it could keep the patient alive after both of his diseased lungs were removed.<\/p>\n “A key innovation here is that we maintained the heart’s natural physiology. By using a \u2018flow-adaptive\u2019 design, we allowed the patient’s own heart to regulate blood flow, rather than forcing it with a machine,” Bharat said.<\/p>\n “Just one day after we took out the lungs, his body started to get better because the infection was gone.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n “Just one day after we took out the lungs, his body started to get better because the infection was gone.”<\/p>\n After 48 hours, the patient was stable enough to proceed with a double-lung transplant<\/a>. Two years later, he is back to his regular routine.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “The patient is doing remarkably well,” Dr. Bharat said. “He has excellent lung function<\/a>, his heart function is preserved and he is completely functionally independent.”<\/p>\n This was the first successful application of this specific type of system, according to the medical team.<\/p>\n The medical team designed a “total artificial lung system” that maintained blood flow to the heart until the transplant could be placed. (Northwestern Medicine)<\/p>\n “While the concept of removing lungs and bridging to transplant has been attempted in rare cases historically, those prior attempts faced significant limitations regarding blood flow management and the risk of clots,” Bharat told Fox News Digital.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Our system is novel because it includes a self-regulating \u2018shunt\u2019 that mimics the natural physics of the lung to protect the heart<\/a>, and it uses dual return tubes to maintain normal blood flow through the left heart chambers.”<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n In a case study, which was published last week in the Cell Press journal Med, experts revealed a “molecular analysis” of the removed lungs, showing extensive scarring and damage. This supports the idea that in some severe cases of acute respiratory distress syndrome, transplantation may be the only viable option.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Researchers hope that the TAL system could eventually be a viable strategy for patients who are waiting for donor lungs \u2014 specifically, those with severe acute respiratory distress<\/a> syndrome (ARDS) along with necrotizing pneumonia or septic shock.<\/p>\n The patient’s new transplant is shown at left, and his old lungs are shown at right. “This technology allows us to \u2018clean the slate\u2019 by removing the infection, stabilizing the patient and bridging them to a successful transplant,” the lead surgeon said. (Northwestern Medicine)<\/p>\n “These patients have a mortality rate exceeding 80% and are often turned down for transplant because they are too infected,” Dr. Bharat said. “This technology allows us to \u2018clean the slate\u2019 by removing the infection, stabilizing the patient<\/a> and bridging them to a successful transplant.”<\/p>\n![\"Dr.](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dr.-ankit-bharat-performing-surgery.jpg\")
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<\/p>\n![\"Lung](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/patients-new-transplanted-lungs-l-and-his-old-lungs-r.jpg\")
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