He lived without lungs for a day. How a remarkable transplant operation saved him
November 12, 2023 7:01 AM ET
By Diane Webber



Davey Bauer was near death six months ago after the flu and another bacterial infection wasted his lungs. Now he says he's feeling stronger each day as he recovers from a double lung transplant.
José M. Osorio/Northwestern Medicine

If he had it to do all over again, Davey Bauer might have gotten a flu shot. For sure, he would have said no thank you to cigarettes and then vaping.

Instead, Bauer has a story to tell about living for a day with no lungs on his way to a lifesaving double-lung transplant.

His diseased lungs were completely removed from his body, an "artificial lung" did their work and two breast implants – size DD – served as placeholders in his chest cavity, supporting his heart. A day later, a second surgery transplanted donated lungs into his chest.

Dr. Ankit Bharat of Northwestern Medicine in Chicago came up with the idea for the innovative surgeries and tapped his colleagues in the plastic surgery department to help him figure out which implants to use.

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