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:

UPMC study gives better understanding of cardiac arrhythmia following lung transplantation

Cardiac arrhythmia is a common complication following lung transplantation, and one that has a significant negative impact on long-term patient survival, reports a team of UPMC researchers in the largest study of its kind to date.

27 May 2016

New study links high-volume lung transplant centers with lower costs, readmissions

High-volume lung transplant centers have lower transplantation costs and their patients are less likely to be readmitted within 30 days of leaving the hospital following surgery, according to a new study of more than 3,000 Medicare patients who received lung transplants.

16 Apr 2016

Understanding idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: an interview with Michael Durheim, M.D.

IPF is a rare and fatal lung disease that causes permanent scarring of the lungs, leading to debilitating shortness of breath and cough in affected patients. It affects as many as 132,000 Americans, most commonly those over the age of 65.

4 Apr 2016

Mayo Clinic study shows link between frailty and survival after lung transplant procedure

Frailty can affect people of all ages and demographics. Defined simply as "an increased vulnerability to adverse health outcomes," frailty can affect a patient's chances of surviving a surgical procedure or needing a nursing home.

18 Dec 2015

Shorter patients receive lung transplants at lower rates

Short people have several health advantages over tall people, including lower risk for cancer and heart disease, and longer life expectancy. But there's at least one health-related downside to being small: the odds of getting a lung transplant are considerably lower.

17 Nov 2015

UAB study aims to provide improved care related to reproductive health of women with CF

For University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Assistant Professor Sigrid Ladores, Ph.D., investigating reproductive health concerns in adolescents and young adults with chronic illnesses, particularly those with cystic fibrosis, is not just a profession, it is a passion.

3 Nov 2015

Wider geographic sharing of pediatric donor lungs can increase transplant rates for young U.S. patients

Broader geographic sharing of pediatric donor lungs could result in twice as many lung transplants for young patients in the U.S., according to a study published today in the American Journal of Transplantation.

2 Nov 2015

Loyola University successfully performs double-lung transplant in patient with debilitating lung disease

Before he developed a debilitating lung disease, outdoorsman Michael Olson had taken 57 canoe and fishing trips to Canada.

13 Oct 2015

Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome can cause debilitating lung disease in Puerto Ricans

A hereditary condition called Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) can cause bleeding problems, low vision, albinism and, in some patients, a debilitating lung disease.

21 Sep 2015

Ex-vivo lung perfusion technique can reduce risk of transplant rejection

University of Manchester researchers have used a new technique to recondition poorly functioning lungs and remove donor white blood cells in an attempt to increase the number of lungs available for transplant, and at the same time reduce the risk of acute rejection.

15 Sep 2015

Common drug used for treating fungal infections in lung transplant recipients increases risk for skin cancer, death

Voriconazole, a prescription drug commonly used to treat fungal infections in lung transplant recipients, significantly increases the risk for skin cancer and even death, according to a new study by UC San Francisco researchers.

3 Sep 2015

Researchers develop new method that can target drug delivery to the lung

Researchers from Columbia Engineering and Columbia University Medical Center have developed a new method that can target delivery of very small volumes of drugs into the lung.

3 Sep 2015

U-M microbiome research may lead to new ways to prevent, fight lung infections in patients

With every breath you take, microbes have a chance of making it into your lungs. But what happens when they get there? And why do dangerous lung infections like pneumonia happen in some people, but not others? Researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School have started to answer these questions by studying the microbiome of the lungs - the community of microscopic organisms that are in constant contact with our respiratory system.

18 Aug 2015

Organ donor honored at Reagan UCLA Medical Center

Two years ago, Rachel Greenberg went out to run a few errands. While she was gone, her husband Glenn suffered a massive brain hemorrhage. He was immediately taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center where physicians explained he had suffered the worst kind of brain bleed.

25 Jul 2015

UCLA patient successfully receives smaller Total Artificial Heart

A petite 44-year-old woman has received a successful heart transplant at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, thanks to an experimental Total Artificial Heart designed for smaller patients.

2 Jul 2015

UCLA patient first in California to receive smaller Total Artificial Heart

A petite 44-year-old woman has received a successful heart transplant at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, thanks to an experimental Total Artificial Heart designed for smaller patients.

2 Jul 2015

Loyola patient celebrates 10th anniversary of heart and double-lung transplant

On March 20, Andrew Gaumer celebrated the 10th anniversary of his life-saving heart and double-lung transplant. On Mother's Day, his wife, Andrea, gave birth to their first child, a baby boy named Jude. And on June 21, Andrew will celebrate his first Father's Day - a milestone he once feared he would never see.

17 Jun 2015

Mayo Clinic, United Therapeutics partner to build and operate new lung restoration center on Mayo campus

Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., and United Therapeutics Corporation today announced a collaboration to build and operate a lung restoration center on the Mayo campus. The goal is to significantly increase the volume of lungs for transplantation by preserving and restoring selected marginal donor lungs, making them viable for transplantation. The restored lungs will be made available to patients at Mayo Clinic and other transplant centers throughout the United States.

16 Jun 2015

UT Southwestern Medical Center Performs its 500th Lung Transplant on Cystic Fibrosis Patient

A lung transplant to relieve Christopher Bryant Vera from devastating effects of cystic fibrosis marked the 500th lung transplant performed at UT Southwestern Medical Center, positioning the Center among an elite group of fewer than 25 in the country to achieve that benchmark.

30 May 2015

Weight loss can improve outcomes in lung transplant patients

Obesity is a complicating factor for many surgical patients. In a recent study published in the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, Mayo Clinic researchers have shown that losing weight can have a positive impact on outcomes for lung transplant patients.

18 May 2015