In a groundbreaking medical procedure, a 34-year-old Missouri resident, Davey Bauer, has become the first patient to receive a double-lung transplant with the assistance of breast implants. Bauer's life-threatening lung infection, which developed after catching the flu in April, posed a significant challenge for doctors who deemed him too weak for a standard lung transplant.

After Bauer's condition continued to deteriorate, he was transferred from St. Louis to Northwestern Medicine in Chicago for specialized treatment. Surgeons at Northwestern Medicine made the decision to remove his infected lungs and rely on a life-support device known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to sustain his vital functions while clearing the infection from his bloodstream.

However, the absence of lungs within his chest cavity created a problem as Bauer's heart needed support to prevent movement or sinking. Dr. Ankit Bharat, Bauer's surgeon and Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Northwestern Medicine, explained that they opted for a pair of DD breast implants to stabilize the heart within the chest cavity.

The use of breast implants in a double-lung transplant is a first-of-its-kind procedure, according to Northwestern Medicine. Despite the unanticipated role breast implants played in the surgery, Bauer expressed amusement and appreciation for their crucial contribution.

With the breast implants successfully keeping Bauer's heart in place, the infected lungs were cleared, and two days later, healthy donor lungs were transplanted into his body. Bauer's remarkable journey reached another milestone when he was discharged from the hospital in September, with a full recovery expected.

The innovative technique employed by the Northwestern surgeons involved the creation of an artificial lung. By rerouting Bauer's blood through multiple tubes that led to the ECMO machine, oxygenation typically performed by the lungs was ensured. The oxygenated blood was then directed back into the body, maintaining natural blood flow as if the lungs were intact.

Bauer's partner, Susan Gore, expressed her astonishment at the success of the procedure, stating that it "blows her mind" how he survived without lungs in his body.

The medical team, led by Dr. Bharat, hopes that this technique can be applied to other critically ill patients who may be too sick to undergo immediate lung transplants. While the use of breast implants garnered attention, experts stress that it was a minor aspect of the overall groundbreaking procedure.

Dr. John Michael Reynolds, a transplant pulmonologist at Duke Health, noted that similar techniques have been utilized before, including at Duke in 2019 and the University of Toronto in 2017.

While doctors cannot definitively explain why Bauer developed a life-threatening infection at such a young age, they speculate that his history of smoking and vaping may have played a role. Smoking increases the risk of severe respiratory infections and lung disease, and similar associations, although weaker, have been identified with e-cigarette use.

Bauer's case emphasizes the importance of receiving flu shots, as he had not been vaccinated prior to his illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that flu shots generally reduce the risk of severe illness when well-matched to circulating flu strains.

The successful outcome of Bauer's procedure highlights the advancements in transplant medicine, but also highlights the limited number of medical centers with the expertise and resources to tackle such complex cases. The rarity of keeping a patient alive without lungs underscores the remarkable efforts of the medical team at Northwestern Medicine.

As research progresses and medical procedures evolve, Bauer's story offers hope and promise for critically ill patients who previously may have had limited options for treatment.