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GI complications after orthotopic lung transplantation
E I Lubetkin1, D A Lipson, H I Palevsky
1Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
The American Journal of Gastroenterology
|November 1, 1996
Summary
Gastrointestinal complications affect over half of lung transplant recipients shortly after surgery. No specific risk factors predict these issues, requiring vigilant clinical monitoring for early detection and management.
Area of Science:
- Transplantation Medicine
- Gastroenterology
- Surgical Complications
Background:
- Lung transplantation frequency and outcomes have improved.
- Gastrointestinal (GI) complications are increasingly reported post-lung transplant.
- Limited large-scale analyses exist for GI complications after lung transplantation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe and categorize GI complications after lung transplantation.
- To assess risk factors associated with GI complications.
- To analyze the incidence and outcomes of GI complications in lung transplant recipients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 45 lung transplant recipients (47 transplants).
- Data collected between November 1991 and January 1994.
- Analysis of all gastrointestinal complications, including operative and nonoperative types.
Main Results:
- 51% of patients experienced 64 GI complications.
- 18% required major abdominal procedures with a 63% operative mortality.
- Most complications (73%) occurred within the first month post-transplant; no risk factors were identified.
Conclusions:
- GI complications are common (>50%) and occur early post-lung transplant.
- No identifiable risk factors necessitate heightened clinical vigilance.
- While most are nonoperative, operative interventions carry high mortality, demanding prompt identification of severe complications.