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The lungs you were born with are not necessary to sustain your life:
In what is believed to be the first procedure of its kind in the world, doctors in Canada have saved a young mother's life by resorting to a radical solution – they removed her lungs for six days while she waited for a transplant. In April, Melissa Benoit arrived at a Toronto hospital with a severe lung infection. Doctors soon realised that Benoit, who had been born with cystic fibrosis, had just hours to live, leading them to consider the unprecedented approach.
[...] In mid-April, a team of 13 began a nine-hour surgery to remove Benoit's lungs. Filled with mucous, each lung was swollen and as hard as a football, said Keshavjee. "Technically, it was difficult to get them out of her chest." Hours later, her condition began to dramatically improve. "And literally within minutes – it was probably around 20 minutes after having taken those infected lungs out – her blood pressure normalised, and they could remove all the blood-pressure-supporting drugs and just leave her on the pumps that were providing the circulation," Keshavjee told the Canadian Press.
A small artificial lung was connected to Benoit's heart, while other devices oxygenated and circulated her blood. As they waited for replacement lungs to become available, doctors wondered how long she could be supported like this. "We didn't know if we'd get [them] in one day or one month," said Keshavjee. Six days later a pair of donor lungs became available and Benoit underwent a successful lung transplant.
Also at BBC.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by krishnoid on Wednesday February 01 2017, @07:25PM
Where's the socialized medical care rationing death panels when you need them?
"It was a difficult discussion because when we’re talking about something that had never to our knowledge been done before, there were a lot of unknowns," said Dr. Niall Ferguson, head of critical care at the University Health Network, which includes Toronto General.
I'm almost positive this would be the case, but this hospital would be part of Canada's socialized medical system, right? So she would have paid a total of like, I dunno, a dodecaloon for the whole thing?
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Wednesday February 01 2017, @10:43PM
We're more advanced here in Canada... It would have cost about 4 quatloos. That's for the coffees her family bought while waiting for her to wake up.
Coffee AND donuts, if her family has cops in it, say... 6 quatloos.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Thursday February 02 2017, @12:07AM
I see your six quatloos and raise you some Timbits and a moose [ctvnews.ca].
(Score: 2) by Pslytely Psycho on Thursday February 02 2017, @01:26AM
Quatloos?
In mountainous, snowy Tamrial, er, Canada?
More like Septims!
Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday February 02 2017, @02:49AM
May your lungs fill with Tribbles.
OH YES I DID!
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by GungnirSniper on Wednesday February 01 2017, @11:38PM
If we didn't have caps on med schools and students the problem would largely solve itself in the US. A 'free market', indeed.
Tips for better submissions to help our site grow. [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 02 2017, @04:27AM
The US system has more layers with many layers out to extract profit.
The US also has the poor sitting in ERs to get treatment. That's an expensive and inefficient way to deliver healthcare (if you're not rich enough to have your own personal medical team this sort of thing can still affect you).
Do also include the costs of the US prison system. Some US people commit crimes: a) to get money to pay for healthcare, b) to get into prison to get healthcare.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 02 2017, @07:30AM
The US system has more layers with many layers out to extract profit.
Had to read twice: looked like "lawyers" the first time.
(Score: 1) by Kawumpa on Thursday February 02 2017, @08:30AM
Mee too, and it would have been correct. :)