Management following heart and lung transplantation: five years experience

Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 1990;4(4):197-200; discussion 201. doi: 10.1016/1010-7940(90)90004-j.

Abstract

Since April 1984, 70 patients have received heart-lung transplants at our institution. Actuarial survival is 76% at 1 year and 68% at 2 years. All but 4 surviving patients have an unrestricted life style. Rejection was confirmed by lung transbronchial biopsy (TBB) on 277 occasions in 66 patients. Forty-two percent of episodes occurred within 1 month of surgery. Eight patients have developed evidence of chronic rejection with progressive irreversible fall in FEV1, of whom 4 have died or undergone single lung retransplantation. Seven patients had primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) of whom 4 patients died. Eight patients developed pneumocystis pneumonia of whom 1 died. Seven episodes of herpes simplex pneumonitis occurred of which one episode was fatal. Heart-lung transplantation is a valuable treatment for terminal cardiopulmonary disease and offers increasing hope of long-term survival.

MeSH terms

  • Biopsy
  • Cytomegalovirus Infections / etiology
  • Graft Rejection
  • Heart-Lung Transplantation* / mortality
  • Humans
  • Lung Diseases / etiology
  • Postoperative Care*
  • Postoperative Complications / prevention & control