Experimental Background and Early Clinical Experience

Transplantation of the heart and both lungs has only become a clinical reality in the 1980s, largely due to the introduction of cyclosporine, which has enabled the patient to be immunosuppressed adequately during the first 2–3 weeks without the need for a corticosteroid. The ability to immunosuppress the patient sufficiently without a corticosteroid has allowed time for healing of the tracheal suture line, which previously was a major source of early complication following this operation.