[Lung transplantation in patients in mechanical ventilation before transplantation]

Mechanical ventilation before lung transplantation has been identified as a risk factor for early death after surgery. However, several studies have reported patient series in which ventilation assistance was given preoperatively without increasing the rates of postoperative complications and death, apart from increasing time of postoperative intubation. The present retrospective analysis of the postoperative course of patients who had been mechanically ventilated before transplantation encompasses a period of 5 years in our hospital. Eight transplants (7 double- and 1 single-lung procedures) were performed. Six patients (75%) required extracorporeal oxygenation during surgery. Three patients (37.5%) died within 30 days of receiving the transplanted lung. The mean time of intubation after the operation was 10.3 days and the mean stay in the postoperative recovery and intensive care unit was 27.5 days. The most common postoperative complications were respiratory colonization (100%), with infection in 3 patients, and reimplantation injury (50%). Pretransplant mechanical ventilation was associated with high risk in the patient series we report; however, the survival rate observed suggest that such patients should be considered acceptable candidates to receive grafts if indicated.