Heart–lung transplantation

Heart–lung transplantation

Combined heart–lung transplantation is an excellent treat ment for PAH ( Figure 92.10 ). However resolution of right ventricular dysfunction has been observed consistently after bilateral lung transplantation, making it the favoured option in the vast majority of patients, Cur rently , the main indication is in congenital heart disease with pulmonary hypertension. Early post-transplant survival remains lower than after lung transplantation. After a peak of activity in the late 1980s, the number of procedures has steadily declined to less than 100 /uni00A0 per annum. Organ allocation systems are weighted towards directing hearts and lungs separately to urgently listed patients, making combined heart–lung donor blocks a rarity for these patients.