Lung Transplant News and Research

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A pulmonary transplant (or lung transplant) is a surgical procedure in which a diseased lung is removed and replaced with a healthy lung from a donor. A lung transplant will often be recommended if a person has advanced lung disease that is unresponsive to other treatments and/or when a person's life expectancy is likely less than 2-3 years. A lung transplant is considered for those suffering from the following conditions:

Mutations in PARN and RTEL1 associated with familial pulmonary fibrosis, telomere shortening

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified mutations in two genes that cause a fatal lung scarring disease known as familial pulmonary fibrosis.

5 May 2015

Mayo Clinic heart transplant surgeons present findings from three clinical studies at ISHLT 2015

Heart transplant surgeons from Mayo Clinic are presenting findings from three recent clinical studies involving heart transplant patients. The presentations took place during the 2015 International Society of Heart & Lung Transplant in Nice, France, on April 15-18.

21 Apr 2015

Study may point to immediate cause of CF exacerbations

In the genetic disorder cystic fibrosis (CF), the most severe symptoms are recurring episodes of lung inflammation and bacterial infection (known as "exacerbations") that happen from one to three times a year and cause ever-increasing amounts of lung damage through the course of a CF patient's life.

9 Apr 2015

Women face Lymphangioleiomyomatosis risk during their childbearing years

A rare and potentially deadly lung disease called Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) strikes women during their childbearing years.

29 Mar 2015

Key finding may point to immediate cause of CF exacerbations

24 Mar 2015

Publicly insured Americans who undergo lung transplantation fare worse than their UK counterparts

Publicly insured Americans who undergo lung transplantation for cystic fibrosis fare markedly worse in the long run than both publicly insured patients in the United Kingdom and privately insured Americans, according to the results of a study conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and U.K. colleagues working in that nation's government-funded National Health Service.

24 Mar 2015

Metabolic derangement may facilitate cell proliferation in PAH

An enzyme that facilitates modification of proteins via a glucose metabolism pathway may promote cell proliferation in the lung tissue of patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, say researchers.

13 Mar 2015

Study explores outcomes of lung transplantations after implementing need-based allocation system

Since implementation of a medical need-based allocation system of donor lungs in 2005, double-lung transplantation has been associated with better graft survival than single-lung transplantation in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF); at 5 years, there has been no survival difference between single- and double-lung transplant recipients in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study in the March 3 issue of JAMA.

4 Mar 2015

UM SOM launches ‘Program in Lung Healing’ to develop treatments for acute respiratory failure

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, and Jeffrey A. Rivest, MS, President and Chief Executive Officer of University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), today announced the official launch of a new "Program in Lung Healing," that will further the School's position as a national leader in research, education and clinical innovation for acute ailments of the lung and respiratory system.

9 Feb 2015

TGH develops unique new method to help high-risk patients receive a lung transplant

A unique new method to treat a specific group of patients who are at greater risk of rejecting a donor lung, allowing them to live longer after transplant without rejection, has been developed by the Toronto Lung Transplant Program at Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network.

28 Jan 2015

Patients who receive lungs from heavy drinkers more likely to develop severe primary graft dysfunction

Lung transplant patients who receive lungs from heavy drinkers are nearly nine times more likely to experience a life-threatening complication called primary graft dysfunction, a Loyola University Medical Center study has found.

20 Jan 2015

Ganciclovir drug resistance may occur more frequently in cystic fibrosis patients

A drug called ganciclovir is given to lung transplant patients to protect against a life-threatening virus that is common after transplantation.

22 Dec 2014

CF patients require close monitoring for resistance to ganciclovir after lung transplantation

A drug called ganciclovir is given to lung transplant patients to protect against a life-threatening virus that is common after transplantation.

18 Dec 2014

Cardiac monitoring foretells clinical deterioration in PAH

Monitoring right ventricular parameters can give advance warning of clinical deterioration in stable patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, research suggests.

9 Dec 2014

Excess fat in lungs may cause pulmonary fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis has no cure. It's caused by scarring that seems to feed on itself, with the tougher, less elastic tissue replacing the ever moving and stretching lung, making it increasingly difficult for patients to breathe.

20 Nov 2014

Triple therapy shows promise for severe PAH

Results of a small pilot study among patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension support the long-term benefits of upfront triple combination therapy, French researchers report.

7 May 2014

Docs who treat patients with severe LAM face agonizing treatment decision

Doctors who treat patients with a severe and progressive respiratory disease called lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) can face an agonizing treatment decision.

18 Apr 2014

ECMO can be used for treating carbon monoxide poisoning

Allison Morgan was in pretty bad shape when the medical helicopter touched down on the rooftop helipad of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital.

12 Mar 2014

Researchers study how patients do after lung transplant

In the past five years, the number of lung transplantations carried out has increased by about 20%. In the end stage of various lung diseases, transplantation is the last remaining option for treatment, and it can both prolong life and improve its quality.

6 Mar 2014

Transplanting lungs from heavy smoking donors does not appear to negatively affect recipient outcomes

Transplanting lungs from donors with a history of heavy smoking does not appear to negatively affect recipient outcomes following surgery, according to a study in the March 2014 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

28 Feb 2014