Lung transplant: the Western Australian experience

Area of Science:

• Thoracic surgery
• Transplant immunology
• Pulmonary medicine

Background:

• The Western Australian lung transplant programme was established in 2004.
• It was created to address the increasing need for lung transplantation in patients with end-stage lung disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize the initial 11-year experience of the Western Australian lung transplant programme.
• To analyze patient and donor characteristics influencing lung transplant outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis of 115 consecutive lung transplant recipients and their donors from 2004 to 2015.
• Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression modeling were employed.
• Key factors affecting survival, including donor and recipient characteristics, were assessed.

Main Results:

• 88 bilateral, 22 single-lung, and 5 heart-lung transplants were performed.
• Leading indications included interstitial lung disease (30.4%), cystic fibrosis (27.8%), and COPD (22.6%).
• Five-year survival was 70%, with chronic lung allograft dysfunction identified as the primary cause of late mortality. Older age and higher BMI adversely affected survival.

Conclusions:

• Lung transplantation is a viable treatment for end-stage lung disease in Western Australia.
• The program demonstrates favorable survival rates compared to international benchmarks.
• Annual transplant volumes are increasing, indicating growing demand and program capacity.