Verne Wisby, 68, suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a lung disease linked to smoking that can cause respiratory infections and breathing trouble.

WSJ: Bringing the Hospital to Your Home

However, if patients living with one lung have diabetes, coronary artery disease, chronic lung disease or are immunosuppressed, they may also be more vulnerable to develop complications such as respiratory distress or failure if they develop an upper respiratory infection such as bronchitis or pneumonia.

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