More Donor Lungs For Transplant

Organs for lung transplant are traditionally taken after brain death, rather than cardiac death. (Brain death is the irreversible loss of function of the brain, including the brainstem. Cardiac death is the cessation of all cardiac, circulatory and pulmonary activity in a patient who has requested in advance not to be kept on life support.) The common wisdom was that cardiac death donor lungs were more subject to injury and graft dysfunction. But a team of surgeons from the Heart & Vascular Institute is reversing that wisdom.

Led by David Mason, MD, they have shown that early lung function, as well as postoperative survival as long as three years after transplantation, was similar for recipients of donor lungs from either source. Further, Dr. Mason and his team have successfully performed more than 18 lung transplants donated after cardiac death — one of the largest experiences in the world. Their findings will expand the pool of available donor lungs, saving more lives of patients on transplant lists.