Lung transplantation

This chapter describes common issues along the transplantation journey from assessment to common conditions that are diagnosed post transplantation. Assessment for transplant suitability against several objective criteria is covered as well as the importance of optimizing techniques prior to this. Recent advances mean that some patients can now be bridged to transplant using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) when previously they would have been removed from the transplant list. Drawbacks to ECMO are discussed. Ex-vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) of a donor organ is covered. Follow-up is considered, especially in the early phase whilst being stabilized on their new medications as well as monitoring for the development of lung rejection (acute and chronic). These conditions often present when patients are being seen away from the transplant centre. CF patients have the best outcomes of the groups after lung transplantation, emphasising that lung transplantation should be considered in this specific group of patients.