Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'This Is An Evil That I Haven't Faced Before': Doctors Who Performed Double-Lung Transplant Beg Teens To Stop Vaping
The New York Times: Facing ‘Certain Death,’ Teenager With Vaping Injury Gets Double Lung Transplant
A 17-year-old boy whose lungs were irreversibly damaged by vaping received a double-lung transplant at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, a lifesaving measure taken when a patient’s own lungs are diseased or damaged beyond repair and there is no other hope of survival, doctors said on Tuesday. Without the transplant, performed last month, the patient “would have faced certain death,” Dr. Hassan Nemeh, who led the surgical team, said during a news conference at the hospital. (Grady, 11/12)
The Washington Post: Michigan Doctors Say They Performed The First Vaping-Related Double Lung Transplant
The medical team from Detroit’s Henry Ford Hospital said the patient, a 17-year-old male, underwent the roughly six-hour transplant surgery Oct. 15. He spent a month on a life-support machine after suffering “complete lung failure” and would have faced “certain death” without the operation, according to the doctors. The teen’s family described him as an athlete who was in perfect health before he was admitted to the hospital in early September with what appeared to be pneumonia. Within weeks, his condition had become so dire that he shot to the top of a national transplant list, where most patients spend months waiting for a donor. (Hawkins, 11/12)
Detroit Free Press: Teen With Vape Lung Injury Undergoes Double Lung Transplant In Detroit
"This teenager faced imminent death had he not received a lung transplant," said Dr. Hassan Nemeh, surgical director of thoracic organ transplant at Henry Ford Hospital, who was among the team of doctors who performed the boy's surgery. E-cigarette or vaping-associated lung injury, also referred to as EVALI, has sickened more than 2,000 people in the U.S. and one U.S. territory since March, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Shamus, 11/12)
NBC News: Michigan Teen Needed New Lungs Because Of Vaping
The doctors refused to answer questions about what the boy had been vaping before becoming ill. Instead, they had one message: Stop vaping, whatever it is — just stop. "We beg of you," said Dr. Nicholas Yeldo, a critical care physician with the hospital system. "We don’t want to be taking care of you next." The boy's family chose not to give his name as he recovers from surgery. The family released a statement Tuesday, saying their lives have been "forever changed." (Edwards, 11/12)
The Hill: Michigan Teen Becomes First In US To Have Double Lung Transplant Due To Vaping Damage
The CDC announced last week that it had found evidence that vitamin E oil found in some THC products was linked to at least some of the vaping-related illnesses throughout the country. The median survival for patients who receive double lung transplants is about seven years, NBC News noted. But Dr. Lisa Allenspach, director of the lung transplant program at Henry Ford Health System, told the network that officials were optimistic that he will be "alive and well for a long time" given his youth. (Wise, 11/12)
In other news on vaping —
Stat: Former FDA Commissioner Calls For A Full Ban On Pod-Based E-Cigarettes
Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is done playing nice on e-cigarettes. He’s calling on the agency to ban all pod-based e-cigarettes, a move that would likely eliminate every product sold in the U.S. by companies like Juul and Njoy. In a far-reaching and strikingly candid speech at Harvard University on Tuesday evening, the Trump appointee plans to rail against top e-cigarette makers for their role in what he calls the “travesty on top of a travesty” of youth vaping. (Florko, 11/12)
Bloomberg: Juul To Cut 650 Jobs, Slash Expenses As It Scales Back Marketing
Juul Labs Inc. will eliminate 650 jobs and freeze hiring, part of a plan to cut $1 billion in costs as it pulls back on marketing and tries to get its vaping device cleared for sale by U.S. health regulators. The San Francisco-based e-cigarette company has become a target of government regulators attempting to stem an epidemic of new, young nicotine users who have flocked to the sleek device despite in many cases never having used cigarettes. (Armstrong, 11/12)
California Healthline: More Vapers Are Making Their Own Juice, But Not Without Risks
Danielle Jones sits at her dining room table, studying the recipe for Nerd Lyfe (v2) vape juice. The supplies she’s ordered online are arrayed before her: a plastic jug of unflavored liquid nicotine, a baking scale and bottles of artificial flavors that, combined, promise to re-create the fruity taste of Nerds Rope candy in vapor form. This is Jones’ first attempt to make her own e-liquid after buying it for the past five years. Jones, 32, wants to be prepared for the worst-case scenario: a ban on the sale of the e-liquids she depends on to avoid cigarettes. (Gold, 11/12)
