Two single lung transplantations from one donor: lung twinning in the LAS era.

Objectives: The implementation of the Lung Allocation Score (LAS) in the Eurotransplant international collaborative framework decreased waiting list mortality, but organ shortage remains a significant problem. Transplantation of two single lungs from one donor into two recipients (lung twinning) may decrease waiting list mortality. We sought to analyze if this strategy can lead to an acceptable intermediate-term outcome.

Incidence and characteristics of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in Germany.

Background: The incidence of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is unknown. Previous studies from the United Kingdom and Spain have reported incidence rates of 1.75 and 0.

Breathing pattern and chest wall volumes during exercise in patients with cystic fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis and COPD before and after lung transplantation.

Background: Pulmonary fibrosis (PF), cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often cause chronic respiratory failure (CRF).

Methods: In order to investigate if there are different patterns of adaptation of the ventilatory pump in CRF, in three groups of lung transplant candidates with PF (n=9, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1))=37+/-3% predicted, forced vital capacity (FVC)=32+/-2% predicted), CF (n=9, FEV(1)=22+/-3% predicted, FVC=30+/-3% predicted) and COPD (n=21, FEV(1)=21+/-1% predicted, FVC=46+/-2% predicted), 10 healthy controls and 16 transplanted patients, total and compartmental chest wall volumes were measured by opto-electronic plethysmography during rest and exercise.

Results: Three different breathing patterns were found during CRF in PF, CF and COPD.