Lung transplant recipients on long-term extracorporeal photopheresis.

Extracorporeal photophoresis (ECP) is an increasingly used therapy to address chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) following lung transplantation. In 2008, we reported the first single-center experience showing that ECP not only reduces lung function decline in patients with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) but results in stabilization of patients with recurrent acute cellular rejection (ACR). In this study, the original cohort was followed up further 5 years.

Severe acute measles pneumonitis: virus isolation in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid.

In the past few years, several endemic outbreaks of measles have been recognised, not only in children but also in adults, with severe and, occasionally, even fatal complications, possibly due to delayed diagnosis of the disease in adult medicine and decreasing vaccination rates. Furthermore, the treatment consists of supportive measures only. We present a case of severe measles pneumonitis in a 42-year-old man, a travel returnee, proven by direct virus isolation with PCR from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid.

Coronary artery disease in lung transplant candidates: role of routine invasive assessment.

Background: An atherosclerotic disease burden sufficient to put lung transplant candidates at risk for end-organ disease after transplantation is considered to be a relative contraindication for lung transplantation.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess our current practice of cardiac workup by coronary angiography in lung transplant candidates ≥50 years of age.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 50 consecutive lung transplant candidates ≥50 years of age in which coronary angiography was performed at the University Hospital Zurich (2009-2013).