Diagnosis and interventions of vascular complications in lung transplant

The incidence of lung transplant procedures in the US has progressively increased since the first human lung transplant was performed in 1963 (1,2). Lung transplantation is now an established treatment modality for a broad spectrum of end-stage pulmonary diseases (3). The most common indications for lung transplantation accounting for approximately 85% of all procedures are advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), cystic fibrosis (CF), emphysema due to alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The remaining 15% comprise of end stage lung diseases including sarcoidosis, lymphangiomyomatosis and end stage histiocytosis. The types of lung transplants performed include single-lung transplant, bilateral sequential lung transplants, and heart-lung transplants