SCCM Resource Library-The COVID-19 Double-Lung Transplant: How a Last-Ditch Effort Has Saved Lives

Pdf Summary

The document details the groundbreaking medical work led by Dr. Ankit Bharat and his team at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in performing life-saving double-lung transplants for COVID-19 patients. It highlights the story of Mayra Ramirez, a paralegal from Chicago, who was the first known recipient in the U.S. She developed severe COVID-19 symptoms, leading to irreversible lung damage, necessitating a transplant. This procedure had never been attempted on COVID-19 patients in the U.S. before.<br /><br />Dr. Bharat, faced with numerous COVID-19 patients with devastating lung damage, initiated a trailblazing approach to save lives through double-lung transplants. In a pivotal case, they saved Roberto Rodriguez, a healthcare worker who had spent 130 days on life support, by performing a 13-hour transplant surgery on Thanksgiving Day. Dr. Bharat’s initiative, often described as a miracle, has become a significant procedure in his practice, saving ten COVID-19 patients with severe lung damage to date.<br /><br />The document discusses the processes and criteria used to determine transplant candidates, emphasizing the need for virus clearance and the likelihood of effective single-organ recovery. Dr. Bharat stresses the importance of realistic expectations post-surgery, noting challenges like lifelong medication and potential complications.<br /><br />Dr. Bharat's pioneering work challenges traditional views on lung transplants for viral-induced lung damage and has inspired other medical centers to consider similar interventions. Through collaborations and publications, such as a study in "Science Translational Medicine," Dr. Bharat is influencing global medical practice.<br /><br />Overall, Dr. Bharat's work exemplifies innovation and dedication in critical care during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the need for adaptive solutions in treating unprecedented medical challenges.

Asset Subtitle

Transplant, Crisis Management, 2021, 00:06:57

Asset Caption

This article was first published in the Winter 2021 issue of Critical Connections. When the clock struck midnight and it officially became Thanksgiving Day, Ankit Bharat, MD, was in an operating room at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, saving a life few people thought could be saved. The patient was Roberto Rodriguez, a 60-year-old surgical technician with COVID-19 who spent 130 days on a ventilator and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)—the longest reported time for a COVID-19 patient in the world. Hope for recovery was waning. Critical Connections, the critical care industry's only newsmagazine, provides information on cutting-edge topics in critical care useful to the entire multiprofessional team.

Meta Tag

Content Type Article

Knowledge Area Crisis Management

Knowledge Area Transplant

Knowledge Level Advanced

Membership Level Select

Membership Level Professional

Membership Level Associate

Tag COVID-19

Tag Organ Transplantation

Year 2021

Keywords

Dr. Ankit Bharat

Northwestern Memorial Hospital

double-lung transplants

COVID-19

Mayra Ramirez

Roberto Rodriguez

lung damage

medical innovation

Science Translational Medicine

critical care

	Society of Critical Care Medicine 500 Midway Drive Mount Prospect, IL 60056 USA Phone: +1 847 827-6888 Fax: +1 847 439-7226 Email: support@sccm.org	Contact Us About SCCM Newsroom Advertising & Sponsorship DONATE	MySCCM LearnICU Patients & Families Surviving Sepsis Campaign Critical Care Societies Collaborative	GET OUR NEWSLETTER
© Society of Critical Care Medicine. All rights reserved. \| Privacy Statement \| Terms & Conditions The Society of Critical Care Medicine, SCCM, and Critical Care Congress are registered trademarks of the Society of Critical Care Medicine.