Lung Transplant

If you need a lung transplant, the multidisciplinary team at the Miami Transplant Institute will provide you with the best possible care. Our knowledge and experience, combined with our innovative and advanced surgical procedures, allow us to treat the most complex patients. We also collaborate closely with Jackson Health System’s pulmonologists, cardiac surgeons, and cardiologists to address advanced lung disease and other serious problems related to lung health.

The lungs play a critical part in delivering oxygen to the rest of the body. When the lungs stop functioning properly due to severe disease or injury, a lung transplant may be necessary. Lung transplantation is a surgical procedure that replaces one or both diseased or damaged lungs with healthy lungs from a deceased donor.

You may be a good candidate for a lung transplant if you have severe lung disease that is getting worse or a condition that prevents your lungs from working properly. In addition, if your condition is so serious that other treatments don’t work and you have a life expectancy of 12 to 24 months, a lung transplant may be the only option.

Lung transplants are most often performed to treat people who have severe:

All of these conditions, which tend to be underdiagnosed, generally do not respond well to most medical treatment. As the disease worsens, a lung transplant may become the only available option.

While a lung transplant can be a life-saving procedure for patients with severe lung disease, not all patients will be eligible to become candidates for transplant surgery.

Factors that may affect your eligibility for receiving a lung transplant include:

Lung transplants are not very common because of the limited amount of donor organs available. About 3,050 lung transplants were done in the United States in 2023. More donor lungs would help increase the number of lungs that can be transplanted.

There are three main types of lung transplants:

Before a lung transplant, you must go through a thorough pre-transplant assessment and screening. During a medical evaluation, your Miami Transplant Institute doctors and care team will review your medical history and conduct a physical examination. They will also evaluate your mental and emotional health to determine your short-term and long-term ability to manage the stress associated with the pre- and post-transplant process. Additionally, the medical team will confirm whether you smoke or use alcohol or drugs. Lung transplant recipients must be nicotine-free for several months before being put on the transplant list.

Tests will need to be conducted to determine whether you’re healthy enough for a lung transplant. Tests may include:

The first year after the lung transplant surgery is the most critical. This is when the risk of complications is at its highest. The main risks or complications arising from a lung transplant include:

Before you begin your lung transplant, you will receive general anesthesia that will put you to sleep so that you do not feel any pain during the surgery. Your healthcare provider will also monitor your heart and blood pressure with an electrocardiogram (EKG) during the entirety of the surgery.

Once you are asleep, your surgeon will make a small incision in your chest in order to insert a central venous catheter into a vein. This is a tube that allows easy access to your bloodstream so that fluids and medicines can be transported into your body.

Next, your doctors will insert a tube in your mouth and down your windpipe to support your breathing. They will also insert a tube in your nose and down to your stomach to drain contents from your stomach. A catheter will be used to keep your bladder empty.

Once your body has been fully prepared for the surgery, the transplant surgeon will make an incision in your chest to open it. They will cut the main airway to your diseased or injured lung along with the blood vessels that connect to your lung and heart. The surgeon will then remove your diseased lung and replace it with the donor’s lung. Finally, the main airway of the donor’s lung along with its blood vessels will be reconnected to your airway and heart.

During a double-lung transplant, the surgeon will remove both of your diseased lungs, one at a time, and replace them with the donor’s lungs. A single-lung transplant typically takes four to eight hours, while a double-lung transplant typically takes six to 12 hours.

After lung transplant surgery, your healthcare providers will monitor your overall health, and wait for you to wake up from the anesthesia. You will then be moved to an intensive care unit (ICU) for several days of additional monitoring. While in the ICU, you will still be equipped with a tube in your windpipe to help support your breathing, as well as other tubes to deliver medicines and drain fluids from your body.

Once your healthcare providers believe it is safe, you will be moved to the post-transplant unit to continue your recovery. As your body continues to heal, the medical team will teach you how to keep track of your overall health and detect any signs of complications. You will work with a respiratory therapist to build strength in your new lungs and to learn how to check your lung function with a spirometer. You will be in the hospital for about two weeks after surgery, but in some cases, the stay can be longer. Many individuals will return to a good quality of life within three to six months.

A lung transplant can greatly improve your quality of life and extend your life expectancy. The outlook for people who have had a lung transplant has improved dramatically in recent years, and it’s expected to continue improving. By following your post-transplant program, taking care to prevent infections, and monitoring your own health, you can continue to live a healthy, fulfilling life for many years to come.

A healthy diet and nutrition play an important role in your recovery after a lung transplant and in your long-term health. In the first few months after surgery, you will need to ensure you consume enough calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals in order to help heal your wounds, rebuild muscle, and allow your body to fully recover.

Once you have recovered from your transplant surgery, it is important to eat well to keep your new lung healthy and manage the longer-term side effects of your medications. Transplant medications can increase your chance of developing obesity, heart disease, diabetes, bone loss, and high levels of potassium in your blood. Following a healthy diet plan after your lung transplant can help manage these issues.

A healthy diet includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It also includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, and fat-free or low-fat milk or milk products. A healthy diet is also low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium (salt), and added sugars. Your transplant dietitian will work with you to develop a personalized plan, and to help you understand your dietary needs and restrictions.

Exercise is an important part of rehabilitation after your lung transplant and should continue to be a regular part of your life. The transplant team will work with you to design an exercise program that is right for you. Your exercise program may also include warm-up exercises, such as stretching or slow walking. Once your body has fully recovered from the surgery, your plan may also include aerobic activities, such as brisk walking or bicycling, along with strength training. This will help you improve how well your lungs function after the transplant, maintain a healthy weight, control blood pressure, reduce stress levels, and strengthen your bones. As you become more fit, your body will be able to use oxygen more effectively.

As an academic transplant center, the Miami Transplant Institute conducts clinical trials and can also apply the latest research findings to improving clinical care. For example, we are able to put donor lungs into respiratory function equipment and test their capability before implanting them into a patient.

These are just some of the ways our lung transplant program is offering the miracle of life while leading the way into the future.