Lung transplant

Definition

Lung transplant is surgery to replace one or both diseased lungs with healthy lungs from a human donor.

Indications

Lung transplants may be recommended for patients with any severe lung disease. Some examples of disease that may require lung transplant are:

Lung transplant is not recommended for patients with serious illnesses, such as reduced kidney or liver function, or other serious diseases.

Convalescence

An extended hospital stay should be expected. The recovery period is about 6 months. Frequent check-ups with blood tests and x-ray tests will be necessary for years.

Expectations after surgery

Lung transplant is an extreme measure for patients with life-threatening lung disease or damage. Current survival rates are as high as 80% at 1 year following transplantation and 60% at 4 years.

Fighting rejection is an ongoing process. The body's immune system considers the transplanted organ as an invader (much like an infection) and may attack it. To prevent rejection, organ transplant patients must take anti-rejection (immunosuppression) drugs (such as cyclosporine and corticosteroids) that suppress the body's immune response and reduce the chance of rejection. As a result, however, these drugs also reduce the body's natural ability to fight off various infections.

Risks

Risks for any anesthesia are:

  • Reactions to medications
  • Problems breathing
Risks for any surgery are:
  • Bleeding
  • Infection
Additional risks of transplant includes:
Lung transplant - series
Lung transplant - series
Review Date: 5/3/2006
Reviewed By: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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