During ones lifetime a lot of stuff gets stuck in your lungs - escpecially if you are a smoker. Could lungs be "washed" to get rid of excess stuff? This would probably be very traumatic but how about this: what if your lung (half or part) would be surgically taken out, then washed with a suitable solution, solution removed and lastly the lung would be stitched back? After all lung transplants are performed. In this procedure there would be no rejection since it's your own lung. Lungs are of course a delicate organ and the washing procedure should "gentle". While the operation is underway the patient would be in an iron lung or using the remaining part of the lung
I keep hearing lungs operations are diffucult because it's difficult to get to the cancer (for one thing). If you take out the lung (or part of it) could a surgery be easier.
During ones lifetime a lot of stuff gets stuck in your lungs - escpecially if you are a smoker. Could lungs be "washed" to get rid of excess stuff? This would probably be very traumatic but how about this: what if your lung (half or part) would be surgically taken out, then washed with a suitable solution, solution removed and lastly the lung would be stitched back? After all lung transplants are performed. In this procedure there would be no rejection since it's your own lung. Lungs are of course a delicate organ and the washing procedure should "gentle". While the operation is underway the patient would be in an iron lung or using the remaining part of the lung
I keep hearing lungs operations are diffucult because it's difficult to get to the cancer (for one thing). If you take out the lung (or part of it) could a surgery be easier.
Any ideas?
You make removing and replacing a lung sound so simple, but its not. A healthy lung cleans itself, however your idea of washing the lungs is not so far-fetched. During bronchioalveolar lavage (BAL) saline is infused into the lung, usually to obtain material for cytological/ microbiological analysis. Its generally done in the ICU during a bronchoscopy. Its been in use for about 15 years, good research tool. Therapeutic applications of BAL: Removes mucus plugs in status asthmaticus. To assess cellular effects after therapy. Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (whole lung lavage). -- madiba
