Recent Advances in Combined Heart-Lung Transplantation

Heart-lung transplantation has been successfully applied in the treatment of combined end-stage cardiopulmonary disease for approximately 6 years. Estimates on the number of patients who have undergone heart-lung transplantation during this period range from 100 to 200 persons worldwide, with the most frequent indications for transplantation consisting of primary pulmonary hypertension and end-stage Eisenmenger’s complex. The procedure has been successfully performed in both pediatric and adult patients. In the authors’ experience, approximately 70% 1-year survival can be expected, with excellent prospects for normal long-term cardiopulmonary function in most patients.