State of the Art: Bridging to lung transplantation using artificial organ support technologies

Lung transplantation increasingly is being performed in recipients of higher risk and acuity. A subset of these patients has severely abnormal gas exchange and/or right ventricular dysfunction, such that artificial organ support strategies are required to bridge patients to lung transplantation. We review the rationales and currently used and potential strategies for bridging to lung transplantation and characterize bridging outcomes. Based on physiologic reasoning and a study of the existing literature, we provide a working strategy for bridging to lung transplantation.