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Key Points
- Lung transplant is surgery to remove a person's
diseased lung and replace it with a healthy lung from a deceased donor.
- Lung transplants are done on people who are
likely to die from lung disease within 1 to 2 years. Their conditions are so
severe that other treatments, such as medicines or breathing devices, no longer
work.
- Lung transplants aren't very common due to the
small number of donor lungs available. Each patient must go through a careful
screening process to make sure he or she is a good candidate for a lung
transplant.
- Some people get one lung during a transplant.
This is called a single-lung transplant. Other people get two lungs. This is
called a double-lung transplant. Some people who have severe heart disease and
lung disease get both organs. This is called a heart-lung transplant.
- Lung transplants most often are used to treat
people who have severe
COPD
(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease),
cystic
fibrosis,
idiopathic
pulmonary fibrosis,
pulmonary
hypertension, or
alpha-1
antitrypsin deficiency.
- Lung transplants are done in medical centers
(large hospitals) where the staff has a lot of organ transplant experience. If
you need a lung transplant, you must apply to a center's transplant program.
You will go through a careful selection process.
- If you're accepted into a medical center's
transplant program, you'll be placed on the Organ Procurement and
Transplantation Network's (OPTN's) national waiting list. OPTN matches a
donor's lungs to a recipient based on need, severity of disease, and whether
the transplant will improve the recipient's chances of survival. Organs are
matched for blood type and the size of the donor lung and the recipient.
- During the lung transplant, the surgeon will make
a cut in your chest to open it. He or she will remove your diseased lung and
connect the main airway of the donor lung to your airway and its blood vessels
to those of your heart. For a double-lung transplant, the surgeon will remove
your diseased lungs, one at a time, and replace them with the donor lungs. You
may be placed on a heart-lung bypass machine during the surgery.
- After surgery, you'll spend several days in the
hospital's intensive care unit. Then you will go to a hospital room. The staff
will carefully watch your recovery. On average, people spend 1 to 3 weeks in
the hospital.
- Before you leave the hospital, the staff will
teach you how to keep track of your overall health, how to check your lung
function, and how to make healthy lifestyle choices. You also will learn the
signs of the two main complications of lung transplant-rejection and
infection.
- Rejection can come on suddenly or slowly. To
prevent rejection, your doctor will prescribe medicines to suppress your immune
system. You will need to take these medicines for the rest of your life.
- The medicines you take to prevent rejection may
weaken your immune system. As a result, you're more likely to get infections.
You can take steps to prevent infection. Wash your hands often, take care of
your teeth and gums, protect your skin from scratches and sores, and stay away
from crowds and people who have colds or the flu.
- A lung transplant can improve your quality of
life and may help you live longer than you would without the surgery. However,
lung transplants have serious risks. The short- and long-term complications of
the surgery can be life threatening.
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What Are the Risks
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