Lung Transplant
If you have trouble breathing due to a serious respiratory condition or lung disease, University Health is here to help. We offer high-quality lung transplant care and are one of the leading programs in South Texas.
Benefits of Lung Transplant
You can expect to live a healthier, longer life after a lung transplant. You may notice you have more energy to do the things you love.
Your lung doctor (pulmonologist) may recommend a transplant if other treatments are no longer working.
A transplant may help treat conditions such as:
- Cystic fibrosis
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Interstitial lung disease
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Scleroderma
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM)
- Connective tissue disease
- Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency
Type of Lung Transplants
We offer two types of lung transplantation from a deceased donor:
- Single lung: Transplant one lung
- Double lung: Transplant two lungs
The Transplant Process
Your transplant patient journey at University Health will be similar to the following:
Your First Visit
Meet your entire transplant care team, including a pulmonologist (lung specialist), surgeon, dietitian, social worker and financial counselor, if needed. We’ll do a short walking test, review your health history and do a physical exam. Come prepared with a list of questions and a support person to help you remember everything you and your team discuss.
Evaluation Testing
You’ll undergo thorough testing to determine if you are a candidate for lung transplant. Your care team may order:
- Blood tests
- Bone density test
- Gastric pH test
- Mammogram and Pap smear for women
- Colonoscopy
- Esophageal manometry study
They will also thoroughly check your lung function using:
- Chest CT scan
- Chest X-ray
- Pulmonary function test
Your heart function will also be examined using:
- Cardiac catheterization
- Echocardiogram
- Electrocardiogram
Becoming a Candidate for Transplantation
The University Health Transplant Patient Selection Committee will review your health history and test results to determine if you are a candidate for transplant. Your transplant coordinator will notify you of the committee’s decision. You may be placed on the national transplant waitlist or will discuss alternative treatment options with your care team.
Lung Transplant Waiting List
When you are approved for transplant, you will be placed on the national lung transplant waiting list through the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). The average wait time for a lung is about two years, but our lung transplant recipients experience shorter than average wait times. While you are waiting, you can attend pre-transplant education classes and stay as healthy as possible to receive your new lung.
Lung Transplant Surgery
Your transplant coordinator will call you when a donor lung becomes available. Come to University Hospital immediately for final testing and preparation for surgery. A single lung transplant surgery takes between three and four hours, while a double lung transplant takes up to eight hours. Your surgeon will remove your damaged lung and attach your new lung to your blood vessels and airway.
After Lung Transplant Surgery
After lung transplant surgery, you will recover in the intensive care unit, where your family can visit you. You may spend a few days in ICU before being transferred to a regular room in the transplant care unit. The average hospital stay is three weeks after lung transplant.
A physical therapist will help you rehabilitate after surgery, and your care team will monitor you for organ rejection. Before you go home, we’ll walk you through your organ transplant manual, a complete guide to caring for your new lung(s). It contains all the information you’ll need to answer questions about medications, self-care, exercise, return to work and more. We’ll also schedule you for your first follow-up visit.
Why University Health for Lung Transplant
Our team has decades of experience in lung transplants. Since 1987, we’ve performed nearly 800 lung transplants.
Some of the longest surviving lung transplant patients in the nation had their transplants at University Health. We prioritize “pre-habilitation,” or prepping your body for your new lung before the transplant. We know that optimizing your health before your surgery is key to a longer-lasting, more successful transplant. We provide outpatient pulmonary conditioning to support you.
Plus our lung recipients have some of the shortest waiting times in the country for transplantation.
High-Quality, Recognized Lung Care
We are recognized as a Center of Excellence for adult lung transplants by the following health plans and organizations:
- Aetna
- BlueCross BlueShield Association
- LifeTrac
- Optum Health
Our Lung Transplant Milestones
- Transplantation of the first lung for the treatment of emphysema in North America
- First heart and double-lung transplant performed in San Antonio
- Transplantation of the first single lung for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension in the world
