Lung Transplant

What is a lung transplant?

A lung transplant is surgery done to remove a diseased lung and replace it with a healthy lung from another person. The operating room may be done for one lung or for both. lung transplants can be done on people of about all ages from newborns to adults up to age 65 and sometimes even later .
Types of lung transplant procedures include :

  • Single lung. This is the graft of one lung .
  • Double lung. This is the graft of both lungs.

  • Bilateral sequential. This is the transplant of both lungs, done one at a time. It ’ randomness besides called bilateral single .
  • Heart-lung transplant. This is the transplant of both lungs and the kernel taken from a single donor .

Most lungs that are transplanted come from deceased organ donors. This type of transplant is called a cadaverous graft. Healthy, nonsmoking adults who are a good match may be able to donate function of one of their lungs. The part of the lung is called a lobe. This type of transplant is called a populate graft. People who donate a lung lobe can live healthy lives with the remaining lungs .

Why might I need a lung transplant?

A lung transfer may be advised for person who :

  • Has dangerous lung problems that can ’ metric ton be improved with any other treatment, and
  • Has a life anticipation of 12 to 24 months without a transplant

A lung transplant may be needed for the following conditions :


  • Severe

    cystic fibrosis

    (CF).
    This is an inherit disease that causes problems in the glands that make perspiration and mucus. It is ongoing, gets worse over time, and is normally fateful .

  • Bronchopulmonary dysplasia

    or

    chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

    .
    These are lung diseases that can interfere with normal breathe .

  • Pulmonary hypertension

    .
    This is increased blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs .

  • Heart disease

    .
    Heart disease or heart defects that affect the lungs may need a heart-lung transplant .

  • Pulmonary fibrosis. This is scarring of the lungs .
  • Other diseases. other conditions that can cause dangerous lung damage include sarcoidosis, histiocytosis, and lymphangioleiomyomatosis. besides, sealed familial conditions can affect the lungs .

not all people with these conditions need a lung transplant. A lung graft is not advised as a treatment for lung cancer. Your healthcare provider may have other reasons to advise a lung transplant .

What are the risks of a lung transplant?

All procedures have some risks. The risks of this procedure may include :

  • Bleeding
  • infection
  • blockage of the lineage vessels to the new lung ( mho )
  • blockage of the airways
  • Severe pneumonic edema ( fluid in the lung )
  • Blood clots
  • rejection of the new lung ( s )

rejection is major risk of transplant. This is a normal body reaction to a alien object or tissue. When an organ is transplanted into a person’s body, their immune system sees it as a threat and attacks the organ. To allow the transplant organ to survive in a newly soundbox, medicines are used to trick the immune system into not attacking the transfer. The medicines used to prevent or treat rejection have a lot of side effects. The accurate side effects will depend on the specific medicines that are taken .
In some cases, a person shouldn ’ thymine have a lung transplant. Reasons for this can include :

  • current or recurring infection that can ’ thyroxine be treated
  • cancer that has spread to other parts of the soundbox ( metastatic cancer )
  • dangerous heart problems
  • Health problems that make the person unable to tolerate surgery
  • serious health conditions other than lung disease that won ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate drive better after transplant
  • not being bequeath or able to stick to all treatment requirements for getting a lung graft

Your risks may vary depending on your general health and other factors. Ask your healthcare provider which risks apply most to you. Talk with him or her about any concerns you have .

How do I get ready for a lung transplant?

To get a lung from an electric organ donor who has died, you will first base be evaluated by a transplant team. The team may include :

  • A transplant surgeon
  • A healthcare provider specializing in the treatment of the lungs ( graft pulmonologist ) ,
  • One or more transplant nurses
  • A sociable worker
  • A psychiatrist or psychologist
  • A dietician
  • A chaplain
  • An anesthesiologist

The transplant evaluation process includes :

  • Psychological and social evaluation. This includes assessing your tension, fiscal issues, and support by family and other loved ones. These issues can have a major affect the result of a transplant .
  • Blood tests. Blood tests are needed to help find a good donor match. This helps improve the chances that the donor organ will not be rejected .
  • Diagnostic tests. Tests may be done to check your lungs and your overall health. These tests may include X-rays, sonography, CT scans, pneumonic function tests, lung biopsy, and alveolar consonant exams. Women may besides get a Pap trial, gynecology evaluation, and a mammogram .
  • Stopping smoking. Lung transfer recipients who smoke must quit. They must be nicotine-free for several months before being put on the transplant list .
  • Other preparations. several immunizations will be given. These are to lessen the prospect of infections that can affect the transplant lung .

The transplant team will consider all information from interviews, your medical history, physical examination, and diagnostic tests in deciding your eligibility for a lung transplant .
once you have been accepted as a transfer campaigner, you will be placed on a waiting tilt of the United Network for Organ Sharing ( UNOS. ) Waiting times vary greatly. They depend on which electric organ ( s ) you need, your senesce, your lineage type, and the reason for your transplant. People who are ineffective to wait may be considered for lung transplant from a living donor .
When a donor harmonium is available from a die person, you will be notified and told to come to the hospital right away so you can be prepared for the transplant. If you are getting a lung from a exist donor, the transplant can be done at a planned time. The potential donor ( sulfur ) must have a compatible blood type and be in good health. psychological tests will be done to be surely the donor is fine with the decisiveness .
Before the transplant :

  • Your graft team will explain the operation to you and give you a luck to ask any questions about the procedure .
  • You will be asked to sign a consent form that gives your license to do the surgery. Read the class carefully and ask questions if anything is not clear .
  • For a cadaver organ transplant, don ’ triiodothyronine eat or drink vitamin a soon as you are told that a lung has become available .
  • For a design support transplant, you should not eat or drink for 8 hours before the operating room, most often after midnight .
  • You may be given a sedative before the routine to help you relax.

Your healthcare providers may give you other specific instructions to get quick .

What happens during a lung transplant?

Lung graft requires a stay in a hospital. The way the operation is done may vary. It depends on your condition and your healthcare provider’s methods. In most cases, the procedure will follow this process :

  1. You will be asked to remove your clothes and given a hospital gown to wear. You will besides be asked to remove jewelry or other objects .
  2. A formative bracelet with your appoint and an identification total will be put on your wrist. You may get a second bracelet if you have allergies .
  3. An intravenous ( IV ) line will be put in your weapon or bridge player .
  4. Thin, flexible tube ( catheters ) will be put in your neck, wrist, under the clavicle ( subclavian ), or the groin. These are used to monitor your heart and lineage atmospheric pressure, and to take blood samples .
  5. You will lie down on an operate on table. For a individual lung graft, you will lie on your side. For a bilateral consecutive lung transplant, you will lie on your back with your arms above your head .
  6. You will be given general anesthesia. This is medicine that prevents pain and lets you sleep through the procedure .
  7. A breathe tube will be put into your throat and hooked up to a breathe machine ( ventilator ). Your affection pace, blood pressure, and breathe will be watched during the procedure .
  8. A catheter will be put into your bladder to drain urine during the operating room .
  9. hair at the surgical site may be trimmed. The skin will be cleaned with an antiseptic solution .
  10. The surgeon will make a cut ( incision ) in your chest of drawers. For a one lung transplant, the incision will be made on the side of breast where the lung will be replaced. For a bilateral consecutive graft, the incision will be made horizontally across the chest below the breasts .
  11. Depending on your lung condition and the type of transfer being done, you may be put on a cardiopulmonary bypass machine ( heart-lung car ). This machine sends rake and oxygen to your torso during the operation .
  12. The diseased lung ( randomness ) will be removed and replaced with the donor lung ( s ). The new lung ‘s lineage vessels and airways will be attached. For a bilateral consecutive transplant, the lungs will be attached one at a fourth dimension .
  13. The incision will be closed with stitches or surgical staples .
  14. A bind or trim will be put on the incision site .
  15. One or more tubes will be put in your thorax. These are to remove vent, fluid, and blood from the thorax and to allow the raw lung ( s ) to expand fully .
  16. A thin pipe ( epidural anesthesia catheter ) may be put in. This is done to send pain medicine into your bet on. It may be done in the operate room or in the recovery room .

What happens after a lung transplant?

After the operation you may be taken to a convalescence room. You will then be taken to the intensive care whole ( ICU ). This is a ward in a hospital where you will be watched close. You will be in the ICU for several days. You will be in the hospital 7 to 14 days or longer .

In the ICU

  • You will be connected to monitors that will constantly show your heart rhythm, blood pressure, breathing pace, and oxygen level .
  • The catheter will stay in your bladder until you can pass urine on your own .
  • You will have a breathing tube in your throat hooked up to a ventilator. The tube will stay in identify until you are able to breathe on your own. This may be for a few hours up to several days .
  • You may have a thinly, plastic tube put through your nose and into your stomach. This is to remove air that you swallow. The pipe will be taken out when your bowels resume normal affair. You will not be able to eat or drink until the tube is removed .
  • blood samples will be taken respective times a day. These are done to check the health of the fresh lung ( second ), and your kidneys, liver, and lineage system .
  • You may be on especial IV medicine to help your blood coerce and your heart, and to control any problems with shed blood .
  • You will be given annoyance medicine as needed, either by a nanny, through an epidural anesthesia catheter, or by giving it yourself through a device connected to your IV .
  • once the breathing and stomach tubes have been removed and your condition has stabilized, you may start drinking liquids. Your diet may slowly include more solid foods as you are able to eat them .
  • Your antirejection ( immunosuppression ) medicines will be closely watched to make sure you are getting the right dose and the best combination of medicines .
  • Nurses, respiratory therapists, and physical therapists will work with you as you begin physical therapy and breathe exercises .

When your healthcare provider feels you are ready, you will be moved from the ICU to a individual room on a regular nursing unit or transplant unit. Your recovery will continue there. You will increase your activity by getting out of bed and walking about for longer periods of clock time. Catheters and tubes will be removed. Your diet will be progress to solid foods .
Nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, physical therapists, and early members of the transfer team will teach you and your meaning syndicate members how to take concern of yourself once you are discharged from the hospital .

At home

  • Keep the incision cleanse and dry. Your healthcare provider will give you instructions for careful bathe. The sutures or staples will be removed during a follow-up office visit .
  • You should not drive until your healthcare provider says it ’ s OK. You may need to avoid early types of natural process for a while .

You will have follow-up visits frequently after leaving the hospital. These visits may include :

  • blood tests
  • pneumonic function tests
  • Chest x-ray
  • An examination of the main airways of the lungs using a farseeing, sparse tube ( bronchoscopy )
  • removal of tissue from the lung for examen ( biopsy )

The transplant team will explain the schedule for these tests. Your rehabilitation program will continue for many months .
Call your healthcare provider if you have any of the downstairs :

  • Fever of 100.4°F ( 38°C ) or higher, or as advised by your checkup team
  • inflammation or swell of the incision
  • lineage or other fluid leaking from the incision
  • pain around the incision that gets worse
  • Feeling unretentive of hint
  • worry rest

Your healthcare provider may give you other instructions after the routine .
To allow the transfer lung ( s ) to survive in your body, you will take medicines for the stay of your biography to fight rejection. Each person may react differently to the medicines. Each transplant team has preferences for different medicines. Healthcare providers tailor medicine plans to meet the needs of each person. In most cases, 3 types of antirejection medicines are given. Antirejection medicines affect the manner the immune system works, therefore people on these medicines have a higher gamble for infections. The doses of these medicines may change frequently, depending on your response. While taking these medicines, you will be more likely to have certain infections. These include oral yeast infection ( thrush ), herpes, and respiratory viruses. For the first few months after operating room, make sure to avoid crowd and anyone who has an contagion. Do not hesitate to restrict visitors to your home while you are recovering. Stay away from any people or places where smoke is allowed and do not allow smoking in your home .
Call your transplant team if you have signs of rejection, such as :

  • Fever of 100.4°F ( 38°C ) or higher, or as advised by your medical team
  • Flu-like symptoms such as torso aches
  • fluid in the lung
  • Tiredness

  • Feeling shortstop of breath
  • cough
  • New chest pain
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