Nation : Girl, 16, Dies 4 1/2 Days After World’s 1st Lung Device Implant
A teen-age girl died this morning 4 1/2 days after becoming the world’s first recipient of an implanted device that works like a lung.
LDS Hospital spokesman Tim Madden said Melicia Harvey, 16, of Arthur City, Tex., died of pulmonary failure at 5:30 a.m. The experimental IntraVascular Oxygenator--a 20-inch bundle of hollow synthetic fibers that delivers oxygen to the blood--functioned as intended until the girl’s death, Madden said.
Harvey had been in critical condition throughout the experiment with severe respiratory distress syndrome, which results from a variety of causes and is characterized by inability of the lungs to transfer oxygen to the blood.
The IVOX, approved for use for up to a week to allow damaged lungs to rest and recover, was implanted during two hours of surgery Friday.
Harvey, whose father, Atrell Harvey II, is employed by Campbell Soup Co., had been a member of the student council at North Lamar High School in Paris, Tex. The girl’s mother, Edith, died Jan. 31 of undisclosed causes.
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