[Causes of early death after lung transplant: analysis of 30 cases].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the causes of early death after lung transplant and its prevention and management.


METHODS
Lung transplantation was performed on 30 patients, 12 with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 10 with pulmonary fibrosis, 3 with Eisenmenger's syndrome, 3 with bronchiectasis, 1 with pneumosilicosis, and 1 with pulmonary vascular leiomyoma, 24 males and 6 females, aged 48 +/- 13 (15 - 72), 23 undergoing single lung transplantation, 3 undergoing right single lung transplantation following ventricular septal defect repair with CPB, 3 undergoing bilateral sequential lung transplantation without CPB, and 1 case undergoing bilateral sequential lung transplantation with CPB, during the period September 2002 to December 2005. All the patients received invasive monitoring, mechanical ventilation, immunosuppressive agents, antibacterial prophylaxis, and prevention of reperfusion injury in ICU after operation.


RESULTS
Six cases died in the early period with the causes of death (n = 3), primary graft dysfunction (PGD) (n = 1), acute rejection (n = 1), and pulmonary infarction (n = 1).


CONCLUSIONS
Infection, PGD, acute rejection and pulmonary infarction represent the most frequent causes of early death after lung transplantation.
Zheng
Ming-Feng
MF
Group of Lung Transplant Center, Wuxi People's Hospital, Wuxi Chest Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi 214073, China.
Zhu
Yan-Hong
YH
Liu
Feng
F
Chen
Jing-Yu
JY
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D016040:Lung Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000209:etiology; D015996:Survival Rate; D055815:Young Adult