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Lung transplantation is the therapeutic measure of last resort for patients with end-stage lung disease who have exhausted all other available treatments without improvement. A variety of conditions may make such surgery necessary. As of 2005, the most common reasons for lung transplantation in the United States were: [2]
Lung transplantation is an intricate treatment that can provide efficient results, however, there are risks that come with this procedure which include: bleeding, infection, blockage of the blood vessels to the new lungs, blockage of the airways, severe pulmonary oedema as well as potential blood clot formation. [45]
Name Life Comments Date of transplant Survival Reference Sandro (1945–2010) Argentine singer and actor. He died after complications of a heart–lung transplant. November 20, 2009 45 days [31] Ann Harrison (1944–2001) Recipient and long term survivor of the world's first human double-lung transplant November 26, 1986 15 years [90]
Prior to operating on the recipient, the transplant surgeon inspects the donor lung(s) for signs of damage or disease. If the lung or lungs are approved, then the recipient is connected to an IV line and various monitoring equipment, including pulse oximetry. The patient will be given general anesthesia, and a machine will breathe for them. [1]
Lung transplantation is the only therapeutic option available in severe cases. A lung transplant can improve the patient's quality of life. [30] Immunosuppressive drugs can also be considered. These are sometimes prescribed to slow the processes that lead to fibrosis. Some types of lung fibrosis respond to corticosteroids, such as prednisone. [29]
In a 2016 case at Stanford Medical Center, a woman who was needing a heart-lung transplant had cystic fibrosis which had led to one lung expanding and the other shrinking, thereby displacing her heart. The second patient who in turn received her heart was a woman with right ventricular dysplasia which had led to a dangerously abnormal rhythm.
Mr Allard’s condition eventually improved, and he had surgery for a double lung transplant in early January and was later able to come off the life support machine after being on it for 70 days.
Since the introduction of the lung allocation score (LAS), which prioritizes transplant candidates based on survival probability, IPF has become the most common indication for lung transplantation in the USA. [42] Symptomatic patients with IPF younger than 65 years of age and with a body mass index (BMI) ≤26 kg/m 2 should be referred for lung