Medications for Opioid Use Disorder and Lung Transplant Survival: A Retrospective Study

There is limited research on lung transplantation in patients with opioid use disorder, despite the significant burden of the overdose crisis.

We sought to examine outcomes in lung transplant recipients with opioid use disorder, including those treated with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD).

We performed a multicenter retrospective study of patients who received a lung transplant with opioid use disorder and/or documented history of prescribed MOUD. Patients were categorized based on engagement with MOUD at the time of admission for their index hospitalization. The primary outcome was 12-month survival.

Among 28 included patients, 85.7% were male and 82% were White. Overall 12-month survival was 88%. Nine patients were prescribed MOUD at the time of admission to index transplant hospitalization, while 19 patients were not prescribed MOUD. Patients who received MOUD at the time of their admission were more likely to discharge home on MOUD (62.5% methadone, 25% buprenorphine vs 0% methadone, 10.5% buprenorphine). Patients who died within 12 months of transplant were more likely to have substance-related legal involvement berore their initial listing (100% vs 35%) and discharge to home over another health care setting (66.7% vs 40.9%).

In this multicenter study, 1-year overall survival of patients on MOUD who underwent lung transplantation was comparable to that of age-matched general patients. Study findings suggest that MOUD do not adversely affect lung transplant survival and may support policies promoting access for patients with opioid use disorder.