Is vaping really that damaging to your lungs? We all ponder this question everyday. They tell us vaping is better and easier on the lungs than smoking traditional tobacco products, but it is harsher on the lungs due to all the added chemicals. Neither vaping nor smoking is healthier than the other, both are equally damaging and irreversible.
There are many risks an individual takes when making the choice to vape. Some of the risks include developing an addiction, ingesting the fluid, device exploding, and even inhaling toxins and chemicals that are not listed on the packaging. The act of vaping can have potential irreversible effects on a person’s body including the lungs, teeth, heart, and gums. Scientists are still unaware of what the long-term effects of vaping will be and are working to discover what the outcome of vaping will be even though these devices are still so new.
With the rising percentage of our youth vaping, we continue to ponder what the outcome of this rising trend will be. In late 2023, a young man in North Dakota developed a lower respiratory infection that eventually resulted in a Double Lung transplant.
North Dakota resident Jackson Allard, age 22, arrived at the emergency room to seek treatment for a stomachache but was instead admitted to the hospital due to his oxygen levels dropping to low. Allard’s doctors diagnosed him with parainfluenza, a virus that causes respiratory infections. This then quickly developed into pneumonia which resulted in acute respiratory distress syndrome. Doctors order x-rays on Allard’s lungs to see the amount of fluid in his lungs. When doctors looked at the x-rays there was so much fluid within Jacksons lungs that they couldn’t even see his heart. Within a few days Allard ended up on life support for a total of 70 days. Making him M Health Fairview’s longest patient on an ECMO machine. While Jackson was on ECMO doctors had to replace the machine twice due to blood clots forming. On December 12th of 2023 he went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated.
Jackson’s next step was receiving a double lung transplant but for him to even be considered for the transplant he would have come off sedation and be able to walk. By the end of December Allard had improved. He was able to stand and walk a couple of feet with the use of a walker. On the night of New Years Eve Allard’s mother was contacted and informed that her sons’ doctors had located a new pair of lungs for him. Jackson Allard received the transplant the very next day. By the 5th of January he no longer required life support to survive. With his knew lungs came a new challenge. Learning how to use his voice again. Fortunately, even without being able to talk Allard was able to communicate with his family and care team. Doctors suspect that his habit of vaping caused significant damage to his blood vessels and cells that line the lungs prevented Jackson from recovering from the initial viral infection.
Sources:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327374#marijuanaRemove term: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/vaping/22-year-old-man-vaped-required-double-lung-transplant-rcna135052 https://www.nbcnews.com/health/vaping/22-year-old-man-vaped-required-double-lung-transplant-rcna135052
