Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 31, 2025

Lung Rapid Recovery Procurement Combined with Abdominal Normothermic Regional Perfusion in Controlled Donation after Circulatory Death
Published on: August 15, 2022
Clinical Features and Outcomes of Combined Pulmonary Fibrosis and Emphysema After Lung Transplantation
Tsuyoshi Takahashi1, Yuriko Terada1, Michael K Pasque1
1Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO.
Background:
Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) is recognized as a characteristic syndrome of smoking-related interstitial lung disease that has a worse prognosis than idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, outcomes after lung transplantation for CPFE have not been reported. The aim of this study is to describe the clinical features and outcomes of CPFE after lung transplantation.
Research Question:
What are the clinical features and outcomes of CPFE after lung transplantation?
Study Design And Methods:
This is a single-center retrospective cohort study of patients with CPFE and IPF who underwent lung transplantation at our center between January 2011 and December 2016. We defined CPFE as ≥10% emphysema in the upper lung fields combined with fibrosis on high-resolution CT scan. We characterized the clinical features of patients with CPFE and compared their outcomes after lung transplantation with those with IPF.
Results:
Twenty-seven of 172 (16%) patients with IPF met criteria for CPFE. Severe pulmonary hypertension was present in 16 of 27 (59%) patients with CPFE. On logistic regression analysis, CPFE was significantly associated with primary graft dysfunction (PGD) grade 3 (OR, 3.14; 95% CI, 1.18-8.37; P = .02). On competing risk regression analysis, CPFE was associated with acute cellular rejection (ACR) grade ≥ A2, and chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) (hazard ratio [HR], 1.89; 95% CI, 1.10-3.25; P = .02; HR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.02-3.77; P = .04, respectively). Five-year survival was 79.0% for the CPFE group and 75.4% for the IPF group (log-rank P = .684).
Interpretation:
After transplantation, patients with CPFE were more likely to develop PGD, ACR, and CLAD compared with those with IPF. However, survival was not significantly different between the two groups.
Related Concept Videos
COPD: Pathogenesis and Clinical Features
The primary cause for the onset of COPD is cigarette smoking and exposure to air pollution. These hazardous factors initiate a chain reaction within the lungs, resulting in chronic inflammation, damage to the airways, and a...
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-III: Symptoms and Complications.
Symptoms of COPD can be classified as primary or systemic. Primary symptoms relate to reduced airflow, while systemic or extrapulmonary symptoms relate to COPD's broader impact on the body.
Primary Symptoms of COPD:
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Smoking is a primary risk factor for COPD, with over 80% of patients having a history of it. Patients typically experience progressive dyspnea or labored breathing, frequent coughing, and recurrent pulmonary infections. Many eventually succumb to respiratory failure, characterized by...
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-II: Pathophysiology
Chronic Inflammation
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-I: Introduction
COPD: Management Using Bronchodilators and Corticosteroids

