Weight loss for critical care patient to improve lung transplantation candidacy: A case report

A 47-year-old male with morbid obesity and progressive pulmonary fibrosis was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with worsening hypoxia and nocturnal ventilator dependence. Due to a significant oxygen requirement, the patient could only safely remain in an acute care setting. Unfortunately, he was not eligible for lung transplantation due to having obesity, a relative contraindication to lung transplantation due to potential for post transplantation complications and increased mortality. Therefore, we treated the patient with a modified very low calorie diet (MVLCD) to achieve weight loss. He had successful, sustained weight loss over a period of seven weeks and reached a target weight that made him eligible for transplantation. He subsequently underwent successful bilateral lung transplantation. The patient had improved metabolic parameters and no side effects attributable to the reduced calorie diet. This report shows that in patients with end stage lung disease and a poor prognosis without transplantation, inpatient weight loss is safe and may allow for potentially lifesaving lung transplantation.