WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The first double lung transplant surgery in the United States on a patient with a vaping-related lung injury has been successfully performed at Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital.
Both the lungs of the patient, who preferred not to reveal his identity, was irreparably damaged from the heavy use of e-cigarette, commonly known as vaping.
A team of Henry Ford Health System medical experts who performed the surgery, and hospital authorities have scheduled a news conference Tuesday to brief the media about its details.
They will discuss the patient's treatment and provide an update on his condition, Henry Ford Health System said in a press release.
Vaping poses a major threat to the health of thousands of people in the United States. More than 2000 cases of lung injury related with use of e-cigarette, also referred to as EVALI, have been reported from across the country since March.
So far, 39 people have died of EVALI, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CDC says it has no clear idea regarding the specific harmful products or components that are causing the illness, but the agency's officials said last week that Vitamin E acetate, a known additive used to dilute liquid in e-cigarette or vaping products that contains THC, might be responsible for the ongoing epidemic.
In the wake of new data showing an alarming rise in vaping by youth in the United States, the Trump administration announced plans to ban most flavored e-cigarettes in September.
CDC noted that the trend in cases appears to be downward, but some states still remain hard hit.
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