A Los Angeles woman was shot at close range but survived due to her D-cup breast implants.

Lydia Carranza, working in a Beverly Hills dental office, was in the firing line when a man burst in with a semi-automatic rifle. The gunman was searching for his wife, who also worked in the office. The wife was killed in the attack.

Carranza, however, was lucky enough to survive. One of her silicone implants slowed the bullet fragments, effectively shielding vital organs.

"She's just one lucky woman," surgeon Dr Ashkan Ghavami told the Los Angeles Times.

"The bullet fragments were millimetres from her heart and her vital organs. Had she not had the implant, she might not be alive today."

The gunman is awaiting trial.