Lung Transplantation for Cystic Fibrosis and Bronchiectasis

Lung transplantation has become an excellent treatment option for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and bronchiectasis with very advanced lung disease. Despite the challenges that the CF patients present, survival is more favorable than that seen in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulmonary fibrosis. Although those CF and bronchiectasis patients with severe respiratory disease are often infected with organisms that display in vitro resistance to the commonly used antibiotics, they usually have successful outcomes with transplantation, which are reported to be the same as in those patients with less resistant bacteria. Preoperative synergy testing has been demonstrated to reduce the presence of postoperative bacteremia and empyema in patients with CF. Newer challenges include the increasing presence of nontuberculous mycobacteria and in particular the rapid grower Mycobacterium abscessus, for which patient-to-patient spread has been recently recognized. The increased recognition of gastroesophageal reflux offers challenges regarding when and to whom one should offer fundoplication. Most potential CF recipients have metabolic bone disease warranting treatment, especially with the significant loss of bone density seen in the first year after transplantation. Diabetes mellitus, renal dysfunction, and hypertension and their consequences remain common and are of increasing importance as median survival increases in excess of 10 years. With increased experience, more programs are now transplanting patients who require membrane oxygenator support in addition to noninvasive ventilation pretransplantation and the use of a membrane device in the awake patient principally to remove excessive CO2 and reduce acidemia is worthy of note (Novalung; Novalung GmbH, Heilbronn, Federal Republic of Germany). Many centers now take the view that an awake and ambulant patient receiving such support represents a more favorable option than an intubated patient. The limiting factor in lung transplantation remains the number of organs available. Efforts to increase the donor pool, such as low tidal volume ventilation, are effective in allowing a greater percentage of offered organs to be accepted. Perhaps the most encouraging development, however, is that of ex vivo lung perfusion. This permits not only the ability to measure the function of the lungs, something of great value for lungs from donors with circulatory death (donation after cardiac death), but also the potential to introduce lung repair and convert a nonusable lung to one that can be safely used for transplantation.