Outpatient Pharmacologic Management of Lung Transplant Candidates on the Waiting List

The medical care of patients awaiting lung transplantation is complex and requires the treatment of active medical conditions, including lung disease, while at the same time maintaining candidacy for transplantation. Some medications that would otherwise be considered routine may create undesirable challenges or complications in the perioperative setting. Therefore, a comprehensive assessment of the risks and benefits of these medications must take into account both their potential utility in managing a patient's current disease state, as well as the risks of compromising postlung transplant outcomes. In this review, we summarize the available data regarding several medications that are commonly used to treat patients with a variety of lung diseases, but that may impact a patient's course on the waiting list or in the posttransplant period.