WEATHER ALERT
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33-year-old survives double lung transplant after 6 months on ECMO
Read full article: 33-year-old survives double lung transplant after 6 months on ECMOHOUSTON ā Andrew Capen, 33, is the recipient of a miraculous double lung transplant after battling COVID-19. Houston Methodist Hospital said he is one of the longest surviving patients on ECMO, a machine that basically works in place of your lungs once theyāve been so damaged they wonāt work anymore. Capen survived on ECMO for six months before receiving new lungs. While the end result is wonderful, Capen said it was a dark, lonely time in the hospital leading up to it. His surgeon, surgical director of lung transplantation at Houston Methodist Dr. Eddie Suarez, said itās a difficult operation under normal circumstances but because Capenās health was deteriorating it was almost impossible.