Dr. Ankit Bharat, a thoracic surgeon at Northwestern Medicine, has transformed how severely ill COVID patients receive second chances at life. He built Northwestern's lung transplant program from the ground up and performed the first-ever double lung transplant on a COVID patient in the United States, a breakthrough that expanded possibilities for patients whose lungs were ravaged by the virus.
Bharat's work addresses a critical gap. During the pandemic's peak, many COVID patients developed severe pulmonary fibrosis, a condition where lung tissue scars and hardens, making breathing impossible. Traditional medicine offered no path forward for these patients. Bharat recognized that transplantation, though rare and risky, could restore function when lungs were beyond repair.
The surgery itself presents extraordinary challenges. Transplant teams must work within narrow windows of time, match donor and recipient tissue precisely, and manage complex post-transplant care. Bharat's team developed protocols to evaluate candidates and manage the procedure's risks. His landmark COVID lung transplant case demonstrated that the procedure was viable for this population, opening doors for other surgeons to attempt similar operations.
What sets Bharat's approach apart is his willingness to expand transplant criteria. Rather than accepting the traditional limitations of who qualifies for these surgeries, he asks different questions: Can we save this life? What support systems does this patient need? His team now performs multiple lung transplants annually for patients who would otherwise have no options.
For families facing end-stage lung disease, whether from COVID, pulmonary fibrosis, or other conditions, Bharat's work signals hope. Transplant programs like his offer evaluation and potential intervention for patients deemed "too sick" by conventional standards. His research and clinical practice push the field toward more aggressive, creative treatment approaches.
Parents of adult children with severe lung disease should discuss transplant evaluation with their care team.