In a remarkable medical intervention, surgeons at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago used a pair of DD breast implants to fill the void created by the removal of a patient’s severely infected lungs. This innovative solution proved crucial in saving the life of 34-year-old Davey Bauer.
THE UNIQUE CASE OF DAVEY BAUER
Bauer, a pack-a-day smoker since his early 20s who had later switched to vaping, contracted influenza earlier this year, which rapidly led to a secondary infection in his already weakened lungs. The infection was so severe that it started to liquefy Bauer’s lungs, leaving them filled with pus and non-functional.
Bauer was placed on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) system to compensate for his failing lungs. However, it was clear that a lung transplant was the only viable long-term solution.
THE CHALLENGE: FILLING THE VOID
The primary challenge the medical team faced was how to manage the large space left in Bauer’s chest after removing his infected lungs. The human body’s internal anatomy functions like a well-packed suitcase, with each organ supporting the others. The cardiovascular system, in particular, relies on surrounding pressure to function effectively.
THE SOLUTION: BREAST IMPLANTS
Without any precedent for prosthetic lungs, the medical team had to be innovative. They needed something malleable, sterile, and unlikely to trigger an immune response. Breast implants fit these criteria perfectly, and double-Ds proved to be the best fit for Bauer’s chest cavity.
THE OUTCOME: A SUCCESSFUL LUNG TRANSPLANT
Despite the severity of his condition, Bauer had some factors in his favour. He was relatively young and fit, and just a day after his lung removal surgery, a pair of donor lungs became available. On May 28, the temporary breast implants were replaced with the donor lungs.
After several months of recovery and rehabilitation, Bauer is looking forward to resuming his normal life. He humorously plans to embrace his unique medical journey by adopting the nickname ‘DD Davey’ on his gaming profiles and printing it on a t-shirt. More importantly, Bauer hopes that this innovative procedure will open new possibilities for critically ill patients awaiting lung transplants in the future.
