Lung Rescue Unit

In our Lung Rescue Unit, you receive comprehensive, intensive, 24-hour care from our expert lung specialists. We provide advanced treatment for patients with acute lung injuries. Our lung team works together to provide the care you need, including specialized pre-transplant treatments.

Our Lung Rescue Unit uses research and the latest technology to provide advanced treatment for our patients with complex respiratory illnesses. In addition to our experienced lung specialists, you can participate in the School of Medicine's Program in Lung Healing. Through this program, you have access to clinical trials and the latest medical devices and procedures.

We offer a range of innovative treatment options, including ECMO, to help patients who have life-threatening lung disease. In our Lung Rescue Unit, our lung disease specialists collaborate in order to plan the most successful treatment for you. Our team includes experts from many different fields of lung care. This range of expertise ensures that we are providing you with the most accurate, effective care possible. Meet our lung transplant team.

ECMO

In our Lung Rescue Unit, our specialists may place you on ECMO. The job of ECMO is to take over your lung function, removing carbon dioxide from your lungs and allowing them to heal. We often use ECMO as a bridge to transplant, healing patients enough so they can be candidates for a lung transplant procedure. Learn more about ECMO.

Hemolung®

The Hemolung® is a respiratory dialysis system. Previously, intensive respiratory therapy was limited to one option, a ventilator. However, a ventilator requires you to be confined to your bed. In addition, ventilator-associated complications may prevent you from becoming a lung transplant candidate.

The innovative Hemolung is a catheter-based device that slowly removes carbon dioxide from your blood. While using Hemolung, you can get up, walk around and eat as normal.

Like ECMO, the Hemolung can act as a bridge to transplant, ensuring you are healthy enough to undergo a lung transplant procedure.

Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion (EVLP)

EVLP, or ex vivo lung perfusion, is an innovative way to heal lungs to make them acceptable for transplantation. Once we repair the lungs, our team ensures that they meet the high standards of healthy donor lungs. Then, we can use them for lung transplantation.

EVLP is an advanced solution to the problem of a donor lung shortage. By rehabilitating lungs, we can help many more lung transplant patients by making more lungs available. Maryland is one of only a handful of sites around the country now participating in an FDA trial of EVLP. We have transplanted several sets of EVLP lungs and the recipients have had no complications related to the EVLP. All have recovered without any problems related to the lung healing process.