ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION The initial attempts at human lung transplantation began forty years ago and

were met with no long-term success. However, in the last twenty years lung trans­ plantation has enjoyed increasing success and has become the mainstay of therapy for most forms of end-stage lung disease. Improved donor and recipient selec­ tion, technical advances, superior immunosuppressive strategies, and newer anti­ biotic regimens have improved results significantly. The operative mortality rate is now in the range of 9%. One, 2 and 5-year survival rates are 80%, 70% and 50% respectively. The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Trans­ plantation reported in 2002 that almost 15,000 lung transplants have been per­ formed worldwide and that more than 1,500 lung transplants are performed annually.1