Current status of lung transplantation

Abstract

Lung transplant has started to develop clinically during the last decade being a valid alternative for a great number of pulmonary diseases. A review of the three types of transplant is presented: single lung, double lung, and heart-lung transplant. We specially point out the indications of those surgical procedures. Furthermore, we expose the attitude towards most of the post-surgery problems: post-surgical follow up, immunosuppression therapy, diagnosis and treatment of graft rejection, main opportunistic infections as well as obliterans bronchiolitis, which is the long term most important complication.