Results of lung transplantation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

The Low Utilization Rate of Donor Lungs in China: A Single-Center Experience

BACKGROUND Despite the increasing number of organ donations, the utilization rate of donor lungs in China is much lower than that in many other countries. MATERIAL AND METHODS The donor lungs were evaluated before departure (stage 1), after on-site management (stage 2), and after harvesting (stage 3). Variables of donor lungs from medical institutions with lung transplant qualification (group A) and those without qualification (group B) were compared. The outcome measurements for lung recipients were early survival and primary graft dysfunction. RESULTS Among the 277 donor lungs, 140 (51%) were suitable for transplantation and 101 were sent to our institution for 62 single-lung transplantations and 50 double-lung transplantations. The acceptability rates at stage 1, stage 2, and stage 3 were 78%, 56%, and 51%, respectively. In addition, 69 (50.4%) donor lungs were abandoned for poor quality related to management, 24 (17.5%) for no adequate recipients, 15 (10.9%) for family refusal, 14 (10.2%) for organ procurement organization-related reasons, and 15 (10.9%) for other reasons. Donors in group A were ventilated longer and had longer ischemic time than those in group B. However, bronchoscopy, imaging, and oxygenation in group A achieved better results than in group B. No between-group difference in 30-day mortality or rate of grade 3 primary graft dysfunction was observed. CONCLUSIONS Problems at supply and demand ends contribute to the low utilization rate of donor lungs in China. The poor management of donor lungs and the short waiting list for lung transplantation are major reasons.

Single-lung transplantation in emphysema: Retrospective study analyzing survival and waiting list mortality

AIM: To performed remains a subject of debate and is the principal aim of the study.

METHODS: This retrospective analysis included 73 patients with emphysema (2000-2012). The outcomes of patients undergoing single-lung transplantation (SL) (n = 40) or double-lung transplant (DL) (n = 33) were compared in a Cox multivariate analysis to study the impact of the technique, postoperative complications and acute and chronic rejection on survival rates. Patients were selected for inclusion in the waiting list according to the International Society of Heart Lung Transplantation criteria. Pre and postoperative rehabilitation and prophylaxis, surgical technique and immunosuppressive treatment were similar in every patients. Lung transplantation waiting list information on a national level and retrospective data on emphysema patient survival transplanted in Spain during the study period, was obtained from the lung transplantation registry managed by the National Transplant Organization (ONT).

RESULTS: Both groups were comparable in terms of gender and clinical characteristics. We found significant differences in the mean age between the groups, the DL patients being younger as expected from the inclusion criteria. Perioperative complications occurred in 27.6% SL vs 54% DL (P = 0.032). Excluding perioperative mortality, median survival was 65.3 mo for SL and 59.4 mo for DL (P = 0.96). Bronchiolitis obliterans and overall 5-year survival were similar in both groups. Bacterial respiratory infection, cytomegalovirus and fungal infection rates were higher but not significant in SL. No differences were found between type of transplant and survival (P = 0.48). To support our results, national data on all patients with emphysema in waiting list were obtained (n = 1001). Mortality on the waiting list was 2.4% for SL vs 6.2% for DL. There was no difference in 5 year survival between 235 SL and 430 DL patients transplanted (P = 0.875).

CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that SL transplantation in emphysema produce similar survival than DL with less postoperative complication and significant lower mortality in waiting list.

The Saudi Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of COPD

The Saudi Thoracic Society (STS) launched the Saudi Initiative for Chronic Airway Diseases (SICAD) to develop a guideline for the diagnosis and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This guideline is primarily aimed for internists and general practitioners. Though there is scanty epidemiological data related to COPD, the SICAD panel believes that COPD prevalence is increasing in Saudi Arabia due to increasing prevalence of tobacco smoking among men and women. To overcome the issue of underutilization of spirometry for diagnosing COPD, handheld spirometry is recommended to screen individuals at risk for COPD. A unique feature about this guideline is the simplified practical approach to classify COPD into three classes based on the symptoms as per COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and the risk of exacerbations and hospitalization. Those patients with low risk of exacerbation (<2 in the past year) can be classified as either Class I when they have less symptoms (CAT < 10) or Class II when they have more symptoms (CAT ≥ 10). High-risk COPD patients, as manifested with ≥2 exacerbation or hospitalization in the past year irrespective of the baseline symptoms, are classified as Class III. Class I and II patients require bronchodilators for symptom relief, while Class III patients are recommended to use medications that reduce the risks of exacerbations. The guideline recommends screening for co-morbidities and suggests a comprehensive management approach including pulmonary rehabilitation for those with a CAT score ≥10. The article also discusses the diagnosis and management of acute exacerbations in COPD.

Lung transplantation as the first choice in emphysema

INTRODUCTION

The indication for single or double lung transplantation in patients diagnosed with pulmonary emphysema is a topic of current debate. Our aim was to analyze the differences in the incidence of perioperative complications, survival, and quality of life between single and double lung transplantations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From 1999 to 2008, 223 subjects underwent transplantation in our department, of whom 62 (28%) had a previous diagnosis of pulmonary emphysema. A retrospective study was performed to establish possible differences between group 1 (single lung) and group 2 (double lung) transplants analyzing overall survival using the Kaplan-Meier method and differences between groups using the log-rank test. Pearson chi-square test was used to compare the frequency of postoperative complications, bronchiolitis obliterans BOS acute rejection episodes, and infections.

RESULTS

We included 62 patients who underwent transplantation for emphysema. Cumulative 5-year survival rate, excluding preoperative mortality, was 54% overall, 59% for group 1, and 56% for group 2. No significant differences were observed between the groups (P = .47). The frequency of BOS was 34% in group 1 and 42% in group 2 (P = .52). At least 1 acute rejection episode occurred in 52% of group 1 patients and 51% of group 2 patients (P = .98). Bacterial infections were experienced by 50% of group 1 patients and 54% of group 2 patients (P = .72). Fungal infections affected 10% of group 1 patients and 15% of group 2 patients (P = .71). Intraoperative complications were recorded in 27.6% of group 1 patients versus 54% of group 2 patients, a difference that was statistically significant (P = .032).

CONCLUSIONS

The study results supported the decision of our group to consider single lung transplantation the treatment of choice in emphysema, which may be complemented with volume reduction surgery in the native lung or subsequent transplantation of the contralateral lung.