Complications related to lobectomy in living lobar lung transplant donors

Living-donor lobar lung transplantation

Living-donor lobar lung transplantation (LDLLT) is indicated for critically ill patients who would not survive the waiting period in the case of severe brain-dead donor shortage. It is essential to confirm that potential donors are willing to donate without applying psychological pressure from others. In standard LDLLT, the right and left lower lobes donated by 2 healthy donors are implanted into the recipient under cardiopulmonary support. LDLLT can be applied to various lung diseases including restrictive, obstructive, infectious, and vascular lung diseases in both adult and pediatric patients if size matching is acceptable. Functional size matching by measuring donor pulmonary function and anatomical size matching by 3-dimensional computed tomography volumetry are very useful. When 2 donors with ideal size matching are not available, various transplant procedures, such as single lobe, segmental, recipient lobe-sparing, and inverted lobar transplants are valuable options. There seems to be immunological advantages in LDLLT as compared to cadaveric lung transplantation (CLT). Unilateral chronic allograft dysfunction is a unique manifestation after bilateral LDLLT, which may contribute to better prognosis. The growth of adult lung graft implanted into growing pediatric recipients is suggested by radiologic evaluation. Although only 2 lobes are implanted, postoperative pulmonary function is equivalent between LDLLT and CLT. The long-term outcome after LDLLT is similar to or better than that after CLT. The author has performed 164 LDLLTs resulting in 71.6% survival rate at 10 years. All living-donors returned to their previous life styles. Because of possible serious morbidity in donors, LDLLT should be applied only for critically ill patients.

First pediatric bilateral lobar lung transplantation for cystic fibrosis in Russian Federation

Lung transplantation is not a routine treatment option of the pediatric lung diseases. Nowadays, there are performed not more than 100 of these operations per year worldwide due to the obvious diffi culty of obtaining the pediatric donor organs. One of the ways to solve this problem is using the adult donor lungs which have been previously reduced or anatomically partitioned. This is not a standard method of pediatric lung transplantation, but in case of the donor organs defi ciency it takes its place in the world medical practice. In this case we report the fi rst successful pediatric lung transplantation from adult donor in Russian Federation.

History of lung transplantation

Lung transplantation nowadays is a well-accepted and routine treatment for well selected patients with terminal respiratory disease. However, it took several decades of experimental studies and clinical attempts to reach this success. In this paper, we describe the early experimental activity from the mid-forties until the early sixties. The first clinical attempt in humans was reported by Hardy and Webb in 1963 followed by others with short survival only except for one case by Derom et al. who lived for 10 months. Long-term successes were not reported until after the discovery of cyclosporine as a new immunosuppressive agent. Successful heart-lung transplantation (HLTx) for pulmonary vascular disease was performed by the Stanford group starting in 1981 while the Toronto group described good outcome after single-lung transplantation (SLTx) for pulmonary fibrosis in 1983 and after double-lung transplantation for emphysema in 1986. Further evolution in surgical techniques and in transplant type for the various forms of end-stage lung diseases are reviewed. The evolution in lung transplantation still continues nowadays with the use of pulmonary allografts coming from living-related donors, from donors after circulatory death, or after prior assessment and reconditioning during ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) in an attempt to overcome the critical shortage of suitable organs. Early outcome has significantly improved over the last three decades. Better treatment and prevention of chronic lung allograft dysfunction will hopefully result in further improvement of long-term survival after lung transplantation.

Living-related lung transplantation

Living-donor lobar lung transplantation (LDLLT) was developed to deal with the severe shortage of brain dead door for patients who would not survive the long waiting period. In standard LDLLT, right and left lower lobes removed from two healthy donors are implanted into a recipient after right and left pneumonectomies using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The number of LDLLT has decreased in the USA due to the recent change in allocation system for cadaveric donor lungs. For the past several years, most of the reports on LDLLT have been from Japan, where the average waiting time for a cadaveric lung is exceeding 800 days. LDLLT has been performed both for adult and pediatric patients suffering from various end-stage lung diseases including restrictive, obstructive, vascular and infectious lung diseases. Since only two lobes are implanted, size matching is a very important issue. Functional size matching by measuring donor pulmonary function and anatomical size matching by three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) volumetry are very useful. For oversize graft, we have employed several techniques, including single lobe transplantation, delayed chest closure, downsizing the graft, and middle lobe transplantation. In cases of undersize mismatch, native upper lobe sparing transplant or right-left inverted transplant was performed. The 5-, 10- and 15-year survivals were 80.8%, 72.6% and 61.7%, respectively. There was no difference in survival between standard LDLLT and non-standard LDLLT such as single, sparing and inverted transplant. All donors have been discharged without any restrictions. LDLLT is a viable option for very ill patients who would not survive a long waiting time for cadaveric lungs. We have successfully developed various surgical techniques to overcome size mismatching with favorable outcome.

Anatomic pulmonary resection by video-assisted thoracoscopy: the Brazilian experience (VATS Brazil study)

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to describe the results of anatomic pulmonary resections performed by video-assisted thoracoscopy in Brazil.

METHODS

Thoracic surgeons (members of the Brazilian Society of Thoracic Surgery) were invited, via e-mail, to participate in the study. Eighteen surgeons participated in the project by providing us with retrospective databases containing information related to anatomic pulmonary resections performed by video-assisted thoracoscopy. Demographic, surgical, and postoperative data were collected with a standardized instrument, after which they were compiled and analyzed.

RESULTS

The surgeons provided data related to a collective total of 786 patients (mean number of resections per surgeon, 43.6). However, 137 patients were excluded because some data were missing. Therefore, the study sample comprised 649 patients. The mean age of the patients was 61.7 years. Of the 649 patients, 295 (45.5%) were male. The majority-521 (89.8%)-had undergone surgery for neoplasia, which was most often classified as stage IA. The median duration of pleural drainage was 3 days, and the median hospital stay was 4 days. Of the 649 procedures evaluated, 598 (91.2%) were lobectomies. Conversion to thoracotomy was necessary in 30 cases (4.6%). Postoperative complications occurred in 124 patients (19.1%), the most common complications being pneumonia, prolonged air leaks, and atelectasis. The 30-day mortality rate was 2.0%, advanced age and diabetes being found to be predictors of mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Our analysis of this representative sample of patients undergoing pulmonary resection by video-assisted thoracoscopy in Brazil showed that the procedure is practicable and safe, as well as being comparable to those performed in other countries.

OBJETIVO

O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever os resultados de ressecções pulmonares anatômicas por videotoracoscopia no Brasil.

MÉTODOS

Cirurgiões torácicos (membros da Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia Torácica) foram convidados, por correio eletrônico, a participar do estudo. Dezoito cirurgiões participaram do projeto enviando seus bancos de dados retrospectivos referentes a ressecções anatômicas de pulmão por videotoracoscopia. Dados demográficos, cirúrgicos e pós-operatórios foram coletados em um instrumento padronizado e posteriormente compilados e analisados.

RESULTADOS

Dados referentes a 786 pacientes foram encaminhados (média de 43,6 ressecções por cirurgião), sendo 137 excluídos por informações incompletas. Logo, 649 pacientes constituíram nossa população estudada. A média de idade dos pacientes foi de 61,7 anos, 295 eram homens (45,5%), e a maioria - 521 (89,8%) - foi submetida à cirurgia por neoplasia, mais frequentemente classificada como estádio IA. A mediana do tempo de drenagem pleural foi de 3 dias, e a do tempo de internação, 4 dias. Dos 649 procedimentos realizados, 598 (91,2%) foram lobectomias. A taxa de conversão para toracotomia foi de 4,6% (30 casos). Complicações pós-operatórias ocorreram em 124 pacientes (19,1%), sendo pneumonia, escape aéreo prolongado e atelectasia as mais frequentes. A mortalidade em 30 dias foi de 2,0%, tendo como preditores idade avançada e diabetes.

CONCLUSÕES

A casuística brasileira mostra que as ressecções pulmonares por cirurgia torácica videoassistida são factíveis e seguras, além de comparáveis àquelas de registros internacionais.

The immediate post-operative period following lung transplantation: mapping of nursing interventions

OBJECTIVES:

to investigate the principle nursing interventions/actions, prescribed in the immediate post-operative period for patients who receive lung transplantation, recorded in the medical records, and to map these using the Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) taxonomy.

METHOD:

retrospective documental research using 183 medical records of patients who received lung transplantation (2007/2012). The data of the patients' profile were grouped in accordance with the variables investigated, and submitted to descriptive analysis. The nursing interventions prescribed were analyzed using the method of cross-mapping with the related interventions in the NIC. Medical records which did not contain nursing prescriptions were excluded.

RESULTS:

the majority of the patients were male, with medical diagnoses of pulmonary fibrosis, and underwent lung transplantation from a deceased donor. A total of 26 most frequently-cited interventions/actions were found. The majority (91.6%) were in the complex and basic physiological domains of the NIC. It was not possible to map two actions prescribed by the nurses.

CONCLUSIONS:

it was identified that the main prescriptions contained general care for the postoperative period of major surgery, rather than prescriptions individualized to the patient in the postoperative period following lung transplantation. Care measures related to pain were underestimated in the prescriptions. The mapping with the taxonomy can contribute to the elaboration of the care plan and to the use of computerized systems in this complex mode of therapy.

Morbidity and mortality of live lung donation: results from the RELIVE study

The Renal and Lung Living Donors Evaluation Study assesses outcomes of live lung (lobectomy) donors. This is a retrospective cohort study at University of Southern California (USC) and Washington University (WASHU) Medical Centers (1993–2006), using medical records to assess morbidity and national databases to ascertain postdonation survival and lung transplantation. Serious complications were defined as those that required significant treatment, were potentially life-threatening or led to prolonged hospitalization. The 369 live lung donors (287 USC, 82 WASHU) were predominantly white, non-Hispanic and male; 72% had a biological relationship to the recipient, and 30% were recipient parents. Serious complications occurred in 18% of donors; 2.2% underwent reoperation and 6.5% had an early rehospitalization. The two centers had significantly different incidences of serious complications (p < 0.001). No deaths occurred and no donors underwent lung transplantation during 4000+ person-years of follow-up (death: minimum 4, maximum 17 years; transplant: minimum 5, maximum 19). Live lung donation remains a potential option for recipients when using deceased donor lungs lacks feasibility. However, the use of two live donors for each recipient and the risk of morbidity associated with live lung donation do not justify this approach when deceased lung donors remain available. Center effects and long-term live donor outcomes require further evaluation.