Old technologies, applied in new and innovative ways, can still save lives.
It was for David “Davey” Bauer, a 34-year-old from Missouri who, as a heavy smoker and vape, had completely failed his lungs, leaving him with no option but a double lung transplant. His dire situation was made worse when his failing lungs developed an infection that needed to be fixed for the transplant to be successful.
The problem surgeons at Northwestern Medicine's Cunning Thoracic Institute faced was that Bauer would not be able to survive the transplant in his current condition. Before he could undergo the transplant, Bauer's body needed to clear the infection, which meant completely removing the infected lungs. But with both lungs removed, the surgeons needed a way to keep Bauer's heart from physically collapsing within his chest cavity.
And so the idea for DD breast implants was born, a technology that has been around for decades.
“One of our plastic surgeons gave us a rapid-fire rundown of the different types, shapes, and sizes of breast implants, so we chose several options, some of which would mold to Davy's breasts more easily than others, and the DD option was the best fit,” explains Ankit Bharat, MD, chair and director of thoracic surgery at the Cunning Thoracic Institute.
Thanks to an innovative use of breast implants, Bauer survived long enough to fight off the infection and receive two healthy lungs two days later.
“We never imagined that DD breast implants would lead to a patient undergoing a lung transplant, but our team is known for taking on challenging cases and thinking outside the box to save lives,” said Dr. Bharat.
Surgeons say Bauer's successful surgery shows that many patients who need a lung transplant but whose lungs are too damaged to receive one may be able to receive one.
