Lung Transplantation Evaluation
Once your physician has identified you as a possible
lung transplantation candidate, you'll undergo
an extensive evaluation that will help determine
if transplantation is right for you. What the
evaluation entails varies from hospital to hospital.
The information provided here reflects the evaluation
process in the University of Pennsylvania Health
System's Lung Transplant Program.
If you're a potential lung transplant candidate,
the lung transplant team will need to review your
records before seeing you.
Specifically, your doctor needs to send:
- A letter outlining your medical history
- Chest X-rays, both past and current
- Recent pulmonary function tests
- Any hospital discharge summaries or office
dictations
- Original biopsy slides
- Reports of any cardiology testing
After your transplant team has reviewed your
records, you'll meet with a transplant coordinator
and a transplant pulmonologist. The first visit
to the lung transplant clinic usually takes about
1 hour. Here, the team will get to know you better
and explain the entire transplant process to you
and your family. The transplant process -- and
the care you'll need before and after the transplant
-- will be explained to you.
If, after this visit, the team feels lung transplant
might be beneficial to you, and if you're still
interested, you'll be scheduled for an evaluation.
This evaluation consists of many tests, so your
doctors may evaluate your lung function, as well
as the health of your heart, kidneys and liver.
Every organ in your body needs to be able to support
lung transplantation.
Once the evaluation process is complete, you
and your doctors will decide together if lung
transplantation is the best option for you. Your
decision in this process is just as important
as the transplant team's recommendation. You'll
need commitment, as well as your loved ones' support,
to undergo lung transplantation and to be successful
in taking care of yourself for many years to come.
What if I am not a candidate for lung transplant?
This surgery is not an option for everyone,
because of the risks associated with lung transplant.
However, we are experienced in caring for a range
of patients with end-stage lung disease, and we
may be able to offer you another treatment that
will improve your quality of life. These treatments
may include:
- New medical therapies
- Improved methods of delivering oxygen
- Vasodilator therapy for pulmonary hypertension
– Adult CF
- Lung
volume reduction surgery for emphysema
- Pulmonary rehabilitation
- Noninvasive mechanical ventilatory support
Reviewed by Robert
Kotloff, MD
Last updated September 2004
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