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Why it's done

By Mayo Clinic staff

Unhealthy or damaged lungs can make it difficult for your body to get the oxygen it needs to survive. A variety of diseases and conditions can damage your lungs and hinder their ability to function effectively, including:

  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema
  • Scarring of the lungs (pulmonary fibrosis)
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Sarcoidosis with advanced fibrosis
  • Pulmonary hypertension

Lung damage can often be treated with medication or with special breathing devices. When these measures no longer help or your reduced lung function becomes life-threatening, your doctor might suggest a lung transplant.

Risks Definition
References
  1. What is a lung transplant? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/lungtxp/lungtxp_all.html. Accessed July 20, 2010.
  2. Kotloff RM. Lung transplantation: Available surgical techniques. In: Mason RJ, et al. Murray and Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4710-0..00095-X--s0035&displayedEid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4710-0..00095-X--s0050&uniq=210775695&isbn=978-1-4160-4710-0&sid=1028228499#lpState=opened&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4710-0..00095-X--s0035%3Bfrom%3Dtoc%3Btype%3DbookPage%3Bisbn%3D978-1-4160-4710-0. Accessed July 21, 2010.
  3. Reilly JJ, et al. Surgical approach to lung disease: Lung transplantation. In: Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/210628108-3/1027851891/1492/405.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2805-5..50107-5--cesec1_4298. Accessed July 20, 2010.
  4. A guide to lung transplantation. American College of Chest Physicians. http://www.chestnet.org/downloads/patients/guides/LungTransplantation.pdf. Accessed July 20, 2010.
  5. Hachem RR. Lung transplantation: An overview. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 21, 2010.
  6. Questions and answers for transplant candidates about lung allocation policy. United Network for Organ Sharing. http://www.unos.org/SharedContentDocuments/Lung_Patient(1).pdf. Accessed July 21, 2010.
  7. Barbara Woodward Lips Patient Education Center. About your lung transplant. Rochester, Minn.; Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research: 2006.
  8. Kotloff RM. Lung transplantation: Outcomes. In: Mason RJ, et al. Murray and Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4710-0..00095-X--s0035&displayedEid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4710-0..00095-X--s0050&uniq=210979417&isbn=978-1-4160-4710-0&sid=1028763288#lpState=closed&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4710-0..00095-X--s0065%3Bfrom%3Dtoc%3Btype%3DbookPage%3Bisbn%3D978-1-4160-4710-0. Accessed July 22, 2010.
MY00106 Sept. 25, 2010

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