Lung transplantation remains the only available therapy for many patients with end-stage lung disease. The number of lung transplants performed has increased significantly, but development of the field was slow compared with other solid-organ transplants. This delayed growth was secondary to the increased complexity of transplanting lungs; the continuous needs for surgical, anesthetics, and critical care improvements; changes in immunosuppression and infection prophylaxis; and donor management and patient selection. The future of lung transplant remains promising: expansion of donor after cardiac death donors, improved outcomes, new immunosuppressants targeted to cellular and antibody-mediated rejection, and use of xenotransplantation or artificial lungs. Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Stephanie H Chang, Justin Chan, G Alexander Patterson. History of Lung Transplantation. Clinics in chest medicine. 2023 Mar;44(1):1-13
PMID: 36774157
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