Heart–lung transplant

A heart–lung transplant is a procedure carried out to replace both heart and lungs in a single operation. Due to a shortage of suitable donors and due to the fact that both heart and lung have to be transplanted together, it is a rare procedure; only about a hundred such transplants are performed each year in the United States. A heart–lung transplant is a procedure carried out to replace both heart and lungs in a single operation. Due to a shortage of suitable donors and due to the fact that both heart and lung have to be transplanted together, it is a rare procedure; only about a hundred such transplants are performed each year in the United States. Most candidates for heart–lung transplants have life-threatening damage to both their heart and lungs. In the US, most prospective candidates have between twelve and twenty-four months to live. At any one time, there are about 250 people registered for heart–lung transplantation at the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) in the USA, of which around forty will die before a suitable donor is found.