Single-lung transplantation for pulmonary hypertension. Three-month hemodynamic follow-up

Shorter waiting times, relative technical simplicity, and satisfactory application to a broad spectrum of patients has made single-lung transplantation an attractive option in the treatment of patients with end-stage pulmonary hypertension.

Seven patients with pulmonary hypertension underwent single-lung transplantation. Simultaneous closure of associated atrial septal defects was accomplished in two patients. Despite severely compromised pretransplant right ventricular function in all patients, there was no early or late mortality. Right ventricular functional recovery as characterized by hemodynamic assessment before and at a mean of 13 weeks posttransplant was nearly uniform and characterized by a drop in 1) pulmonary arterial systolic pressure from 92 +/- 7 mm Hg to 29 +/- 6 mm Hg (p = 0.001), 2) central venous pressure from 10 +/- 6 mm Hg to 1 +/- 2 mm Hg (p = 0.02), and 3) pulmonary vascular resistance index from 1,924 +/- 663 to 232 +/- 73 dyne.sec.cm-9 (p = 0.001). Radionuclide ventriculography before and at a mean of 17 weeks posttransplant documented a significant (p = 0.006) increase in right ventricular ejection fraction from 22 +/- 15% to 51 +/- 11%. Quantitative pulmonary perfusion scintigraphy at a mean of 17 weeks posttransplant demonstrated a significant (p = 0.001) increase in perfusion to the transplanted lung from 56 +/- 6% to 89 +/- 7%. There was a concomitant, slight but significant (p = 0.004) decrease in ventilation to the transplanted side from 56 +/- 6% to 49 +/- 8%. After transplantation, all patients returned to New York Heart Association functional class I or II from their preoperative levels of class III or IV.

These early follow-up data cautiously support the option of single-lung transplantation in patients with pulmonary hypertension, although long-term durability of these hemodynamic changes deserves documentation before widespread application.