Transplantation of the lungs

Over the last eight years a completely new form of treatment has been introduced for end-stage pulmonary vascular disease and chronic lung disease, including cystic fibrosis. Lung transplantation and heart-lung transplantation have moved from an experimental and innovative stage to clinical treatments. The exclusion criteria for selecting potential recipients have become relaxed whilst preservation techniques have improved to allow ischaemic times of donor organs to be extended beyond 4 h. Monitoring of graft function with daily spirometry and use of transbronchial lung biopsy have enabled early diagnosis of lung rejection or infection and thus effective treatment. Lung transplantation and heart-lung transplantation, by their success, are providing new insight into lung disease and pulmonary physiology.