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Lung transplantation is a well-established life-saving treatment to improve the quality of life of patients with end-stage respiratory failure not responding to other medical or surgical interventions. The 36th adult lung and heart-lung transplant report summarize data from 69,200 adult lung transplants that have been performed through June 30, 2018, and reported to the International Thoracic Organ Transplant Registry. The US Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) and the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) reported survival rates of 85% at 1 year, 68% at 3 years, and 55% at 5 years.  Because lung transplantation is evolving both in the application and in success, it is worthwhile to be acquainted with the procedure. The first lung transplant procedure was performed by Dr. James Hardy and colleagues at the University of Mississippi in 1963. The recipient had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but was a suboptimal candidate for several reasons, including the presence of advanced lung cancer and renal insufficiency. While the first successful combined heart and lung transplant was performed in 1981. Since then the field of lung transplantation has advanced in the selection of candidates, operative techniques, critical care management, immunosuppression, and long-term follow-up.

PMID: 33351408