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Transplant
Quality of life can be moderately to substantially improved by lung transplantation, and life may be extended beyond your life expectancy prior to transplantation. It is impossible to predict how long you may survive after transplantation. The most critical period for survival, of a patient and of the donor lung(s), is the first year after transplantation; this is the period when surgical complications, rejection, and infection (see "Risks") are the greatest threat to survival. Patients who survive the first year are more likely to survive 3 years or longer after transplantation. There are patients alive today who had lung transplantation 5 or even more years ago.
Each lung transplant center has survival statistics for its transplantation programs. These statistics are available from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
Types of Transplant:
Single Lung or Double Lung
The transplant team's assessment of your medical needs and the availability of donor lungs are considered in determining whether one or both lungs should be transplanted.
Heart-Lungs
Both lungs and the heart are replaced when the heart has been chronically "overworked" and weakened by long-term lung disease such as emphysema.
Recommended for
Patients with pulmonary hypertension who have exhausted all other treatment options.
Risks/Side Effects
Life expectancy after lung transplantation is shorter than for heart, liver, or kidney transplantation, particularly for PPH patients. Rejection and infection are the two major complications of lung transplantation. Immunosuppressive (antirejection) medications prescribed by your doctors will help keep the rejection process "turned off." Other medications may be necessary to control and treat rejection if your immune system breaks through the immunosuppressive blockade. Following your doctors' orders and taking all medications as prescribed help to prevent or control rejection.
Because you will be taking immunosuppressive medications, your immune system will be less able to fight off invading bacteria and viruses. You will be much more susceptible to infection, and infections are more likely to become severe.
Additional info
Page Reviewed/Edited: November 2010
In The News
- April 26, 2013
- New transplant technology keeps organs 'alive' outside body
- March 28, 2013
- Breathing Lung Transplant At UCLA, First Ever In U.S., Transforms Man's Life (VIDEO)
- March 8, 2013
- Penn Medicine: Donor Smoking and Recipient Obesity Tied to Higher Rates of Death and Lung Injury After Lung Transplantation
- January 26, 2013
- Functional Status After Lung Transplantation in Older Adults in the Post–Allocation Score Era
- January 22, 2013
Hospital in bid to boost transplants- December 7, 2012
- Procedure helps those on lung transplant list
- December 6, 2012
- Lung Transplants Could Increase After UCLA Finds Success with New Technology
- December 5, 2012
- Penn Medicine Performs 1000th Heart Transplant
- December 4, 2012
- Doctors evaluating lung transplant candidates for Spectrum Health's new program
- December 2, 2012
- Monitoring of nonsteroidal immunosuppressive drugs in patients with lung disease and lung transplant recipients
- November 27, 2012
- UCLA Performs First 'Breathing Lung' Transplant in United States
- November 1, 2012
- Lung transplant patients face tough odds
- October 12, 2012
- New Device Changing Lung Transplants
- October 11, 2012
Transplant program still underfunded- October 11, 2012
- Alfred hospital transplant closure not necessary
- September 29, 2012
- Lung-enriched Organisms and Aberrant Bacterial and Fungal Respiratory Microbiota after Lung Transplant.
- September 20, 2012
- Transplant Center programs honored for strong outcomes
- August 7, 2012
- Bosentan in heart transplantation candidates
- August 4, 2012
- Clinical Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion
- July 1, 2012
- In LVAD Era, Transplant Priority System Needs Refinement
- July 1, 2012
- Exercise Training After Lung Transplantation Improves Participation in Daily Activity
- June 27, 2012
- Risk of cytomegalovirus infection following lung transplant now more measurable
- June 4, 2012
- Lung transplant breakthrough hailed
- May 29, 2012
- Study: Getting a smoker's lung is better than none
- May 1, 2012
- Facebook encouraging organ donations
- April 28, 2012
- LVADs May Confer Unfair Transplant Advantage
- April 21, 2012
- Spirometric obstructive lung function pattern early after lung transplantation.
- April 20, 2012
- New Look, Features for Patient Web site
- April 18, 2012
- Soprano sings about importance of organ donation
- April 4, 2012
- Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute performs most adult heart transplants of any U.S. medical center
- April 1, 2012
- Lung preservation in experimental ischemia/reperfusion injury and lung transplantation: a comparison of natural and synthetic surfactants.
- March 30, 2012
- Va. man receives face transplant
- March 28, 2012
- Dick Cheney: Are heart transplants unusual for older patients?
- March 24, 2012
- Lung size mismatch in bilateral lung transplantation is associated with allograft function and bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome.
- February 17, 2012
Ellen DeGeneres talks organ donation with Ottawa woman- February 7, 2012
- Outcome of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension referred for lung transplantation: A 14-year single-center experience.
- February 4, 2012
- ECMO Can Be a Bridge to Lung Transplantation
- January 26, 2012
- Justin Bieber retweet raises woman’s transplant hopes
- December 18, 2011
- Early severe digestive complications after lung transplantation
- December 13, 2011
Surgeons Check Out Donor Lungs 'Ex Vivo' Prior To Transplant- December 12, 2011
- Let’s presume consent says transplants boss
- November 7, 2011
- Cancer Rates High After Organ Transplant
- November 4, 2011
- Heart cells created in the lab
- November 4, 2011
- Organ Transplant Recipients at Increased Risk of 32 Types of Cancer
- November 1, 2011
- UK HealthCare Surgeons Are First to Perform Novel Procedures Prior to Transplant
- October 12, 2011
- New Transplant Method May Eliminate Need for Lifelong Medication
- September 9, 2011
- First U.S. Patient Receives Specially Processed Donor Lungs at the University of Maryland
- September 8, 2011
- Heart Transplant Scores Predict One-Year Survival Rates
- August 14, 2011
- Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Lung Transplantation
- August 8, 2011
- Feasibility of lung transplants demonstrated
- July 7, 2011
- New Lung Machine May Contribute to More Transplants
- June 14, 2011
- Time of day did not influence heart transplant results
- June 10, 2011
- Why does WA lag behind in organ donation?
- May 29, 2011
- Successful Pregnancy Is Possible After Lung Transplantation
- May 22, 2011
- Increase in Primary Graft Dysfunction After Lung Transplant
- May 15, 2011
- Heart Transplants Plummet in UK
- April 15, 2011
- Donor Lungs Kept Alive Outside Body
- April 15, 2011
- Does lung allocation score maximize survival benefit from lung transplantation?
- April 5, 2011
- ACC: Atrial Flutter Seen After Lung Transplant
- March 24, 2011
- Is Time on the Side of Diversity in Lung Transplantation?
- February 21, 2011
- Two hearts beat as one: Patient has second donor heart attached to his own in life-saving operation
- February 13, 2011
- Atrial Flutter After Lung Transplant Usually Resolves Spontaneously
- February 2, 2011
- Official: Arizona fund not tabbed for transplants
- February 1, 2011
- TEDMED 2010: 'Superorgans' Could Revolutionize Transplants
- January 12, 2011
- Double Lung Transplant Patient Gifted with $277K Donation
- December 23, 2010
- Arizona Cuts Funding for Transplants: Randy Shepherd Needs a New Heart
- October 26, 2010
- Results of lung transplantation in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients in Spain
- October 19, 2010
- Vitamin D deficiency associated with lung transplant rejection
- October 10, 2010
- US Health Care Reform and Transplantation. Part I: Overview and Impact on Access and Reimbursement
- September 30, 2010
- Texas woman still active 20 years after heart transplant
- September 10, 2010
- Lung transplant now viable option at any age
- August 10, 2010
- Woman whose lungs collapsed 15 TIMES battles back from brink to win gold at European meet
- July 7, 2010
- Would you want the lungs of a chain smoker or the heart of a cocaine addict
- July 5, 2010
- Families urged to join Organ Donor Register
- June 30, 2010
- Breakthrough In Lung Transplant Biomedicine
- May 23, 2010
- Experimental bone marrow transplant could be cure for sickle cell disease
- May 6, 2010
- Health Beat: Machine helps patients waiting for lung transplant
- May 3, 2010
- Bristol-Myers: FDA Seeks Data On Transplant Drug
- April 20, 2010
- Challenges of Antibody Mediated Rejection in Heart Transplant
- January 13, 2010
- Mount Sinai Medical Center & New York's Columbia University Partner to Provide Best Heart Care
- November 2, 2009
- Gene therapy may boost success of lung transplants
- October 20, 2009
- Green light for research campus
- September 23, 2009
- Flu Vaccine Advised for Transplant Patients
- September 14, 2009
- Organ swap woman is as fit as she ever was
- September 8, 2009
- Are lung transplants the way forward?
- August 28, 2009
- Oversight allows Spectrum Health to apply for heart transplant program slot
- August 25, 2009
- Mortality On Lung Transplant Wait List Remains High For Some'
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