Lung transplant

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Definition Why it's done Risks

How you prepare What you can expect Results

Definition

A lung transplant is a surgical procedure to replace a diseased or failing lung with a healthy lung, usually from a deceased donor. Depending on your medical condition, a lung transplant may involve replacing one of your lungs (single-lung transplant) or both of them (double-lung transplant). In some situations, the lungs may be transplanted along with a donor heart (heart-lung transplant).

Living-donor lung transplants are rare, but possible. These lung transplants require at least two donors because each person can only donate a portion (lobe) of a lung. The lobes donated depend on the sections of your lungs that need to be replaced. Because the procedure is still new, living-donor lung transplants are usually reserved for people who are in urgent need of a transplant and who are unlikely to survive until a deceased donor lung is available.

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Why it's done

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