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Toggle: English / SpanishLung transplant - Overview
Alternative Names
Solid organ transplant - lung
Definition of Lung transplant:
Lung transplant is surgery to replace one or both diseased lungs with healthy lungs from a human donor.
Description:
The new lung or lungs are usually donated by someone who has been declared brain-dead but remains on life-support. The donor tissue must be matched as closely as possible to your tissue type to reduce the odds that your body will reject the transplanted lung.
Lungs can also be given by living donors. Two or more people are needed. Each donates a section (lobe) of their lung to form an entire lung for the person receiving it.
During lung transplant surgery, you are unconscious and pain-free (under general anesthesia). A surgical cut is made in the chest.
- For single lung transplants, the cut is made on the side of your chest that will be receiving the lung. The operation takes 4 - 8 hours.
- For double lung transplants, the cut is made below the breast. Surgery generally takes 6 - 12 hours. Tubes are used to reroute blood to a heart-lung bypass machine to provide oxygen and move blood through the body during the surgery.
After the cut is made, the major steps during lung transplant surgery include:
- One or both of your lungs are removed. For those receiving a double lung transplant, most or all of the steps from the first transplant are completed before the second transplant is done.
- The main blood vessels and airway of the new lung are sewn to your main blood vessel and airway. The donor lung or lungs are stitched (sutured) into place. Chest tubes are inserted to drain air, fluid, and blood out of the chest for several days to allow the lungs to fully re-expand.
Sometimes heart and lung transplants are done at the same time (heart-lung transplant) if the heart is also diseased.
Why the Procedure Is Performed:
A lung transplant is usually the last-resort treatment for lung failure. Lung transplants may be recommended for patients with any severe lung disease. Some examples of diseases that may require a lung transplant are:
- Cystic fibrosis
- Emphysema
- Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Sarcoidosis
- Damage to the arteries of the lung because of a defect present at birth (congenital defect)
Lung transplant is not recommended for:
- Patients who are too sick to go through the procedure
- Patients whose lung disease will likely affect the new lung
- Patients who have severe disease of other organs
- Reviewed last on: 4/23/2009
- Allen J. Blaivas, DO, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine UMDNJ-NJMS, Attending Physician in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Veteran Affairs, VA New Jersey Health System, East Orange, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
References
Smythe WR, Reznik Si, Putnam JB Jr. Lung (including pulmonary embolism and thoracic outlet syndrome). In: Townsend CM, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2008: chap 59.
Davis SQ, Garrity ER Jr. Organ allocation in lung transplant. Chest. 2007;132:1646-1651.
Aurora P, Carby M, Sweet S. Selection of cystic fibrosis patients for lung transplantation. Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2008;14:589-594.
Maurer JR, Zamel N. Lung transplantation. In: Mason RJ, Murray JF, Broaddus VC, Nadel JA, eds. Murray & Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2005:chap 89.
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