Lung Transplantation by J. Boe, M. Estenne, W. Weder ISBN 9781904097945, 9781904097297, 1904097944, 1904097294 instant download

Lung Transplantation by J. Boe, M. Estenne, W. Weder ISBN 9781904097945, 9781904097297, 1904097944, 1904097294 instant download

Since the first attempt at human lung transplantation (LTx) by Hardy in the early 1960s, LTx has become an established treatment for a wide variety of end-stage cardiopulmonary diseases. Initially limited to patients with primary pulmonary hypertension or Eisenmenger’s complex, this procedure was extended to patients with a variety of end-stage pulmonary disorders, such as end-stage fibrotic lung disease and end-stage obstructive lung disease, as well as suppurative lung disorders, such as bronchiectasis or cystic fibrosis. A successful LTx is the culmination of a complex and costly series of surgical, medical and social interventions aimed at both prolonging life and enhancing quality of life for the patient with end-stage disease. The rapid advances in patient care would not be possible without the dramatic advances in the understanding of the immune response and the new development of immunological management following transplantation. This issue of the European Respiratory Monograph offers the reader excellent state-of-the-art information regarding experiences with LTx four decades after the first procedure. Increased physician awareness of LTx by discussion of the possibilities of organ donation, especially in the critical care setting, may also help to offer new perspectives for those patients suffering from otherwise fatal lung pathologies.