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Accelerated rejection of lung transplant

Last edited: 4/22/2026

Overview

Accelerated rejection of lung transplants, often linked to ischemia-reperfusion injury, leads to rapid deterioration in lung function post-transplantation, necessitating preventive and therapeutic interventions to mitigate damage 12.

Diagnosis

  • Assess pulmonary function tests (PFTs) post-reperfusion to evaluate gas exchange and lung mechanics 1.
  • Monitor hemodynamic parameters, including mean pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance, to detect early signs of injury 2.
  • Evaluate for pulmonary edema and changes in compliance through imaging and clinical assessment 2.
  • Management

  • First-line treatments:
  • - Implement alveolar recruitment maneuvers, such as inflating lungs to total lung capacity before reperfusion, to prevent rapid-reperfusion-induced injury 1. - Consider the use of endothelin receptor antagonists, like SB209670, to improve pulmonary hemodynamics and reduce pulmonary edema 2.
  • Adjunctive treatments:
  • - Administer prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) during the initial reperfusion phase to potentially protect against ischemia-reperfusion injury 1.

    Special Populations

  • No specific data provided for pregnancy, pediatrics, elderly, or comorbidities in the given abstracts [].
  • Key Recommendations

  • Employ alveolar recruitment techniques, such as inflating lungs to total lung capacity before reperfusion, to mitigate rapid-reperfusion injury (Evidence: Moderate) 1.
  • Utilize endothelin receptor antagonists, such as SB209670, to improve pulmonary hemodynamics and reduce pulmonary edema post-transplant (Evidence: Moderate) 2.
  • Consider the early administration of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) during reperfusion to potentially safeguard against ischemia-reperfusion injury (Evidence: Weak) 1.
  • References

    1 DeCampos KN, Keshavjee S, Slutsky AS, Liu M. Alveolar recruitment prevents rapid-reperfusion-induced injury of lung transplants. The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation 1999. link00082-0) 2 Shennib H, Kuang JQ, Ohlstein EH, Giaid A. Endothelin receptor antagonist improves pulmonary hemodynamics during lung ischemia/reperfusion injury. Transplantation 1998. link

    Original source

    1. [1]
      Alveolar recruitment prevents rapid-reperfusion-induced injury of lung transplants.DeCampos KN, Keshavjee S, Slutsky AS, Liu M The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation (1999)
    2. [2]
      Endothelin receptor antagonist improves pulmonary hemodynamics during lung ischemia/reperfusion injury.Shennib H, Kuang JQ, Ohlstein EH, Giaid A Transplantation (1998)

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