Fall 1998 ~ Newsletter
Cystic Fibrosis and Lung Transplants
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Life Expectancy From A Lung Transplant
By Randy Young, MD
Experience with lung transplantation in Cystic Fibrosis has grown remarkably over the last several years. The procedure is now commonly performed in a number of centers around the nation. Factors that should prompt referral of CF patients for transplant considerations include: progressive pulmonary deterioration, increasingly frequent need for hospital treatment, major life-threatening pulmonary complications or increasing antibiotic resistance of bacteria infecting the lungs.Survival rates and quality of life for patients undergoing lung transplantation continue to improve at all major centers. CF transplantation patients have survival rates comparable to those of patients undergoing transplantation for other disorders. The three-year survival rate is approximately 55 - 60 percent, and the five-year survival rate is about 47 - 50 percent. No statistics are available for 10-year survival rates due to the lack of experience for that length of time.The two main factors limiting long-term survival of patients following lung transplantation in patients with all disease types are chronic rejection and infection. Chronic rejection causes scarring of small airways in the lung, leading to increased difficulty breathing and clearing secretions. Infection results from both this problem and from patients taking medications designed to suppress their immune systems in an attempt to prevent and treat rejection.
We expect that survival rates will continue to increase as we develop better understandings of the causes of chronic rejection and as more effective methods become available for preventing and treating both rejection and infection.