One-Year Mortality After Lung Transplantation: Experience of a Single French Center Between 2012 and 2021

BACKGROUND Lung transplantation (LTx) is a life-extending therapy for specific patients with terminal lung diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the associations and causes of 1-year mortality after lung transplantation at Strasbourg University Hospital, France, between 2012 and 2021. MATERIAL AND METHODS We carried out a retrospective analysis on 425 patients who underwent LTx at Strasbourg University Hospital between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2021. Pre-transplant, perioperative, and postoperative data were collected from the electronic medical records. RESULTS Among all patients, 94.6% had a LTx, 4.0% a heart-lung transplantation, and 1.4% underwent pancreatic islet-lung transplantation. The median age at transplantation was 57 years, with 55.3% male patients. The main native lung disease leading to LTx was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 51.1% of patients; 16.2% needed super-urgent LTx. The 1-year mortality rate was 11.5%. Most deaths were either caused by multi-organ failure or septic shock. In our multivariate analysis, we identified 3 risk factors significantly related to 1-year mortality after LTx: body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 30 kg/m² vs BMI between 18.5 and 25 kg/m² (P=0.032), postoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support (P=0.034), and intensive care unit length of stay after transplantation (P<0.001). Two other factors were associated with a significantly lower 1-year mortality risk: longer hospital stay after LTx (P=0.024) and tacrolimus prescription (P=0.004). CONCLUSIONS Our study reported a 1-year mortality rate of 11.5% after LTx. Although LTx candidates are carefully selected, additional data are required to improve understanding of the risk factors for post-LTx mortality.