BILATERAL LOBAR TRANSPLANTATION UTILIZING LIVING-RELATED DONORS

As the recipient list for patients requiring lung transplantation cont inues to increase, cadaveric donor lung availability has remained stat ic. Our experience with utilizing lobes from living related donors for bilateral pulmonary transplantation in 20 patients has yielded a 75% survival at 1 year follow-up. Morbidity and mortality have been predom inately due to infection. Rejection episodes have been mild and unilat eral and have responded to augmented corticosteroids. Pulmonary functi on tests in the recipients tend to improve steadily during the first y ear postoperatively, and the patients have excellent functional capaci ty. There have been no significant complications in the donors. On the basis of our clinical experience, we have found that bilateral lobar transplantation utilizing living related donors has resulted in organ availability that can be lifesaving in critically in patients and can provide a good alternative in certain noncritical, deteriorating patie nts.