Successful lung transplantation for adolescents at a hospital for adults

Objective: To describe the results of lung transplantation (LTx) in adolescents at a hospital for adults. Design and setting: Prospective cohort study set in an LTx unit at an adult tertiary referral hospital from 1991 to 2006. Patients: 37 consecutive adolescent lung transplant recipients including 13 males and 24 females (mean age, 16.7 +/- 2.0 [SD] years; range 12-19 years) who received heart-lung (six patients) or bilateral LTx (31 patients) for cystic fibrosis (29), congenital heart disease (four), acute respiratory failure (two), or another disorder (two). Two patients were transplanted after invasive ventilation, five after non-invasive ventilation and two after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Main outcome measures: Overall survival compared with an adult cohort; survival free of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS); overall and BOS-free survival in those transplanted before and after January 2000. Results: Mean waiting time was 273 days (range, 5- 964 days; median, 163 days), mean donor age was 28 years (range, 9-53 years). Median inpatient stay was 11 days (range, 7-94 days). Mean follow-up was 1540 1357 days (range, 35-5163 days). The 5-year survival rate for the 16 patients transplanted before January 2000 was 38%, versus 74% for the 21 transplanted since January 2000 (P = 0.05; Mantel-Cox). Overall, 18 of 35 evaluable patients developed BOS. Only BOS was associated with an increased mortality risk (P < 0.01). Conclusion: LTx may be performed successfully in adolescents at a hospital for adults.