Managing pulmonary arterial hypertension: how to select and facilitate successful transplantation

Despite improvements in available medical therapies, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) remains a progressive, ultimately fatal disorder. Lung transplantation is a viable treatment option for PAH patients with advanced disease.

Recent guidelines from the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) have updated recommendations regarding time of referral and listing for lung transplantation in PAH. The new guidelines emphasize earlier referral for transplant evaluation to ensure adequate time for proper evaluation and listing. They also incorporate objective risk stratification criteria to assist in decision-making regarding timing of referral and listing. With regards to the transplant procedure, bilateral lung transplantation has largely supplanted heart-lung transplantation as the procedure of choice for transplantation for advanced PAH. Exceptions to this include patients with PAH because of congenital heart disease and those with concurrent LV dysfunction. Use of mechanical support via venoarterial ECMO initiated before transplantation and continued into the early postoperative period is emerging as a standard of care and may help to reduce early posttransplant mortality in this population. There has been increased recognition of the importance of WHO Group 3 pulmonary hypertension. Many of the lessons learned from PAH may be applied when transplanting patients with severe WHO Group 3 pulmonary hypertension.

Patients with PAH present unique challenges with regards to transplantation that require a therapeutic approach distinct from other lung disorders. Lung transplantations for PAH are high-risk endeavors best performed at centers with expertise in management of both PAH and extracorporeal support.