2. What is it?
A lung transplant is a surgery to replace one
or both diseased lungs with healthy ones from
a human donor. The first transplant was
realized on June 11th
in 1963.
It is used to treat:
• people with advanced lung disease who are
failing to respond to other treatment; it is
thought the person’s life expectancy could be
less than 2-3 years without a transplant.
3. Causes
• concurrent chronic illness (e.g. congestive
heart failure, kidney disease, liver disease);
• current infections, including HIV and hepatitis,
• current or recent cancer;
• current use of alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs;
• age;
• psychiatric conditions;
4. Characteristics of donors
• Being healthy;
• Size match; the donated lung or lungs must
be large enough to adequately oxygenate
the patient, but small enough to fit within the
recipient's chest cavity;
• To be under 60 years old;
• Same blood type than the recipient
5. Types of transplants
• A single lung transplant;
• A double lung transplant;
• A heart-lung transplant;
• A lobe transplant (just a part of a living
donor's lung is removed and used to replace
part of recipient's diseased lung).
6. Risks
• Problems at the place where the new blood
vessels and airways were attached;
• Rejection of the new lung, which may happen
right away, within the first 4 to 6 weeks, or
over time.
7. What happens during it?
It takes between 4-12 hours and the procedure
consists on:
• A cut is made in the chest;
• The damaged lungs are removed;
• The patient may be connected to a bypass
machine;
• The donated lungs are then connected to the
relevant airways blood vessels;
• The cut is closed.
8. After the procedure
• You should stay in the hospital for 7 - 21 days.
You will spend time in the intensive care unit
(ICU) right after surgery.
• The recovery period is about 6 months. Often,
your transplant team will ask you to stay close
to the hospital for the first 3 months. You will
need to have regular check-ups with blood tests
and x-rays for many years.
• Also you will need to take lots of medicines, and
you will receive daily checks.
9. Questions
• Do you agree with the lungs
transplant? Why/why not?
• Which ones do you think the
disadvantages of lungs
transplant are?
