Take a breather

An artificial lung has been developed by researchers at the University of
Pittsburgh. “If the lungs have been damaged by infection or inhalation of smoke
or toxic gas, this can do the work while the lungs recover,” says Bill
Federspiel, who developed the artificial lung with Brack Hattler. The “lung” is
first inserted into the vena cava, the main vein returning blood to the heart
from the lungs. Oxygen from a tank is then pumped to the device via a thin tube.
The gas passes through a bundle of around 1000 hollow fibres inside the
synthetic lung, from where it…