Psychosomatic evaluation of patients awaiting lung transplantation

Levels of psychosocial functioning were assessed according to Transplantation Evaluation Rating Scale (TERS) in 113 patients prior to lung transplantation. The prevalence of mental disorders was 20%; in addition impaired mental status was observed in 12 (11%) patients. The most frequent diagnoses were dependence on tobacco (9%), adjustment disorders (4%), and dependence on alcohol (2%). In the clinical interview, 87 patients (77%) were assessed as eligible, 20 (18%) as risky, and 6 (5%) as high-risk candidates. The TERS total scores between the eligibility groups differed significantly (F = 19.5; df = 112; P < .001). There were no significant effects of gender and age. Significant inverse correlations were estimated between the TERS score and educational status (r = -.291; P = .002). TERS allows a standardized evaluation of lung transplant candidates with good discrimination into eligibility groups. General psychosocial adaptation is mainly based on the educational level, a factor that should be examined in psychosomatic assessments.