Smokers' Lungs OK'd for Transplant

Subject: Smokers' Lungs OK'd for Transplant Thu Mar 06, 2014 11:40 pm

Donor lungs from smokers led to transplant outcomes similar to those involving lungs of nonsmokers, British transplant specialists reported.

Smokers' Lungs OK'd for Transplant 44628

Smokers' Lungs OK'd for Transplant 44628

Survival without bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) ranged from 89% to 94% at 1 year and from 73.5% to 79% at 3 years in patients who received donor lungs from nonsmokers or smokers, including heavy smokers. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates also did not differ significantly by donor lung during follow-up to 5 years.

The results have implications for expanding the donor pool for lung transplantation, Anton Sabashnikov, MD, of the Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals in Middlesex, England, reported in Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

"In our experience, history and extent of donor smoking do not significantly affect early and midterm outcomes after lung transplantation," the authors concluded. "Although this finding does not obviate the need for longer-term observation, donor lungs from even heavy smokers may not per se contraindicate lung transplantation and may provide a valuable avenue for expanding donor organ availability."

A shortage of organ donors for lung transplantation leads to significant mortality among patients on the wait list. Data from the UK Transplant Registry have shown that 20% of wait-listed patients receive donor lungs within 6 months, increasing to 51% by 3 years. However, about 30% of patients die while awaiting donor lungs, the authors noted.

More: http://www.medpagetoday.com/Surgery/Transplantation/44628

Smokers' Lungs OK'd for Transplant

Smokers' Lungs OK'd for Transplant

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