[Prospects for predicting the life expectancy of patients with chronic obstructive lung disease for refining...

Success of lung transplantation is largely determined by the patients' timely referral for surgery. However, the determinants of survival in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), potential lung recipients are to be established. To reveal the determinants of survival in patients with terminal respiratory failure, the data from a follow-up of 59 patients with COPD who met the generally accepted requirements for the recipients of an isolated lung were analyzed. The analysis of some clinical, functional, hemodynamic parameters established that the level of hypoxemia and the value of pulmonary systolic pressure were of the greatest prognostic value. The values of external respiratory function did not affect the patients' survival. Thus, patients with COPD should undergo lung transplantation if they have a pulmonary systolic pressure of over 50 mm Hg, pO2 of under 60 mm Hg, and no benefits from their conservative therapy.