By Nidhi Saha, BDSOct 16 2022Reviewed by Benedette Cuffari, M.Sc. A recent The Annals of Thoracic Surgery journal study reports that the survival rate of lung transplant recipients who experienced respiratory failure following infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 was not significantly different than the survival rates among patients who received an LT due to other lung etiologies.
COVID-19 precipitates two significant forms of respiratory failure: pulmonary fibrosis and acute respiratory distress syndrome . Both conditions may require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation , prolonged mechanical ventilation, supplemental oxygen, and physical deconditioning. Study findings Between 2006 and 2021 in the United States, 37,333 individuals were listed for LT after lung injury due to other etiologies, whereas 334 patients were recommended LT due to respiratory failure following SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Related StoriesWhile on the waitlist for new lungs, COVID-19 patients were less likely to die. The likelihood of receiving LT was comparable among both patient groups. Nevertheless, COVID-19 LT recipients waited for a transplant for a median of 14 days as compared to 48 days for other LT recipients. It should be noted that post-transplantation, COVID-19 LT recipients had worse functional outcomes. The researchers hypothesize that this may be due to the acutely ill state of these patients prior to their transplant.