What is a lung transplant?
When is a lung transplant carried out?
Benefits and risks
Who is suitable?
Where are they carried out?
Future prospects
What is a lung transplant?
A lung transplant consists of the replacement of one or both diseased lungs with the healthy lungs of a donor. People may receive a single lung, double lung or complete heart-lung transplant depending on the nature and extent of the underlying disease.
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When is a lung transplant carried out?
Lung transplants are offered to people in the final stages of lung disease such as cystic fibrosis, COPD and other less common conditions, including pulmonary hypertension.
Lung transplantation is sometimes the only treatment that can improve breathlessness, if:
- your medical treatment is no longer working and
- you have severe breathlessness and reduced quality of life.
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Benefits and risks
People with successful transplants can have a near normal lifestyle.
After lung transplants you must take special drugs called immunosuppressants to damp down the body’s immune system and prevent rejection of the new organs. The drugs also have a down side as they reduce your ability to fight infections, as well as some other side-effects.
Rejection may still happen and more research is needed to find better ways of preventing lung rejection. If you get chronic rejection in transplanted lungs they will gradually become more damaged. At present 50% of people with lung transplants are alive and well after five years.
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Who is suitable?
Unfortunately, the supply of donor lungs is very limited. The number of people who would benefit far outweighs the number of lungs available for transplant. As a result, donor lungs are reserved for people who will benefit most. The majority of transplants are given to people under 60.
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Where are they carried out?
Lung transplants in the UK take place in six specialist centres – you can be referred to the nearest one. Around 120 lung transplants are performed in the UK every year.
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Future prospects
Research continues into the best use of immunosuppressive drugs. In the future, stem cell research and organ regeneration may overcome the shortfall in donor organs.
Further information
Watch a lung transplant video featuring a surgeon, and access more lung transplant information, on NHS Choices.
On the NHS Choices website you can also watch a video of lung transplant patient Jon talking about his experiences
Page last medically reviewed: February 2008
