Is Routine Coronary Angiography and Revascularization Indicated Among Patients Undergoing Evaluation for Lung Transplantation?

The Evaluation and Management of Coronary Artery Disease in the Lung Transplant Patient

Lung transplantation can greatly improve quality of life and extend survival in those with end-stage lung disease. In order to derive the maximal benefit from such a procedure, patients must be carefully selected and be otherwise healthy enough to survive a high-risk surgery and sometimes prolonged immunosuppressive therapy following surgery. Patients therefore must be critically assessed prior to being listed for transplantation with close attention paid towards assessment of cardiovascular health and operative risk. One of the biggest dictators of this is coronary artery disease. In this review article, we discuss the assessment and management of coronary artery disease in the potential lung transplant candidate.

Lung transplantation and concomitant cardiac surgical procedures: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Lung transplantation is an effective treatment option for end-stage lung diseases. In some cases, these patients may also have underlying cardiac disease which may require surgical intervention before or during transplantation. Concomitant cardiac surgery may often be preferred, as reduced lung function precludes these patients from pre-transplant surgery. Our meta-analysis sought to examine the impact of lung transplantation paired with concomitant cardiac surgery on long-term mortality.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review of the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases. Our primary outcome was overall mortality. Secondary outcomes included length of stay (LOS) in hospital and serious postoperative complication rates. We used a meta-analytic model to determine the differences in the above outcomes between patients who underwent lung transplantation with or without concomitant cardiac surgery.

RESULTS

Out of the 1876 articles screened, 7 met our pre-determined inclusion criteria. Lung transplantation with concomitant cardiac surgery was not associated with increased mortality compared to lung transplantation alone (hazard ratio = 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.80-1.31; I²  = 0%; p = .99). LOS in hospital was not significantly different between groups (standardized mean difference = 0.32; 95% CI = -0.91 to 1.55). Postoperative complication rates were also reported but not analyzed due to missing data.

CONCLUSIONS

There was no significant difference in mortality rates in patients undergoing lung transplantation with or without concomitant cardiac surgery at 1, 3, and 5 years. However, postoperative complication rates were higher in the concomitant group. The decision to perform concomitant procedures should be tailored to each patient's clinical condition.

Coronary artery disease in lung transplant patients

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a pathology often found in patients with end-stage lung disease. Although in the past CAD might have been considered an absolute contraindication, modern revascularization techniques have helped increase the number of transplants performed in this population. However, discrepancies in the guidelines for perioperative evaluation and risk mitigation strategies for the ischemic cardiac burden are present in the current literature. This is a review of the available data regarding perioperative evaluation, revascularization tactics, postoperative management, and survival rate that patients with different grades of coronary artery disease present after lung transplantation.

Evaluation of solid organ transplant candidates for coronary artery disease

Solid organ transplantation has increased in frequency in the United States, having evolved from an area of experimentation into accepted therapy for end-organ failure. As organ transplantation has become more common, the average age of transplant recipients has increased, thus increasing the potential for multiple comorbidities including coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD has been shown to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in kidney, lung and liver transplant recipients. Identification of CAD in solid organ transplant candidates allows for stratification of short- and long-term risk, ensuring proper use of valuable allograft resources while guiding further patient management. Assessment of asymptomatic transplant candidates for CAD is difficult. Many patients undergo stress echocardiography or nuclear imaging, which have demonstrated inconsistent rates of sensitivity and specificity for the detection of CAD in these patient populations. Cardiac computed tomography is a potential tool for detecting CAD in these populations, but has questionable utility at this time. Coronary angiography has an important role in detecting CAD in high-risk transplant candidates, affecting their long-term management and risk.

Prevalence of obstructive coronary artery disease in patients undergoing lung transplantation: case series and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Coronary angiography is commonly performed prior to lung transplantation, but its utility is unproven.

METHODS

We conducted a single-center retrospective analysis of consecutive patients referred for coronary angiography as part of a pre-operative evaluation for lung transplantation and reviewed the literature for prior series.

RESULTS

A total of 89 patients, 48 men and 41 women were included. Obstructive (≥70% stenosis) CAD was present in 9 (10%), non-obstructive (<70% stenosis) CAD in 24 (27%), and no angiographic evidence of CAD in 56 (63%) patients. We found 13 previously published series in the literature, in which a total of 1998 patients underwent coronary angiography pre-lung transplant. Together with our 89 patients, obstructive CAD was found in 11%.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, given the low prevalence of obstructive CAD in patients referred for lung transplantation, the inherent risk of angiography, and unproven benefit of detection of obstructive CAD, the utility of routine coronary angiography in this population requires validation in prospective studies.

Preoperative cardiac variables of diastolic dysfunction and clinical outcomes in lung transplant recipients

Background. Orthotopic lung transplantation is now widely performed in patients with advanced lung disease. Patients with moderate or severe ventricular systolic dysfunction are typically excluded from lung transplantation; however, there is a paucity of data regarding the prognostic significance of abnormal left ventricular diastolic function and elevated pretransplant pulmonary pressures. Methods. We reviewed the characteristics of 111 patients who underwent bilateral and unilateral lung transplants from 200 to 2009 in order to evaluate the prognostic significance of preoperative markers of diastolic function, including invasively measured pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) and echocardiographic variables of diastolic dysfunction including mitral A > E and A′ > E′. Results. Out of 111 patients, 62 were male (56%) and average age was 54.0 ± 10.5 years. Traditional echocardiographic Doppler variables of abnormal diastolic function, including A′ > E′ and A > E, did not predict adverse events (P = 0.49). Mildly elevated pretransplant PCWP (16–20 mmHg) and moderately/severely elevated PCWP (>20 mmHg) were not associated with adverse clinical events after transplant (P = 0.30). Additionally, all clinical endpoints did not show any statistical significance between the two groups. Conclusions. Pre-lung transplant invasive and echocardiographic findings of elevated pulmonary pressures and abnormal left ventricular diastolic function are not predictive of adverse posttransplant clinical events.