Donor lungs are lungs that are given by one person to another person in need through a surgery. It is a transplant procedure where healthy lungs from someone who has died are used to replace the damaged lungs of someone else.
Full definition
This shortage
of donor lungs results in the death of 20 percent of lung transplant candidates awaiting transplant.
The limited availability
of donor lungs can lead to long delays before transplant, leaving patients to face a mortality rate of up to 40 percent while they wait.
Ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) is a procedure used to minimize swelling
in donor lungs in an effort to make them suitable for transplantation.
The research highlights the potential for MSC administration as a therapy for resolving pulmonary edema and
improving donor lungs before transplantation.
They
studied donor lungs that had been rejected for transplantation by the Northern California Transplant Donor Network and that were cleared for research use by the donors» families.
Unfortunately, both domestically and abroad, the demand
for donor lungs far outpaces the supply.
Columbia University researchers used a new technique to rescue
damaged donor lungs and maintain their viability for transplantation for several days.
The ultimate goal of the Penn Lung Transplant Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion Program is to expand the
pool donor lungs available and extend this life — saving therapy to more patients awaiting transplant.
Ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) is an innovative therapy applied to
donor lungs outside of the body before transplantation that improves organ quality and makes lungs that were previously unsuitable safe for transplant.
UT Southwestern was one of 16 medical centers across the country — and the only one in Texas — participating in a national clinical trial of the technology, which was aimed at significantly expanding the number of
donor lungs available for transplantation.
The shortage
of donor lungs is the main reason why only relatively few lung transplantations are performed every year, despite the high effectiveness of this life - saving method in end - stage lung diseases (fig. 6).
Even with immune - suppressing drugs, the antibodies in D'Agostino's immune system would reject about 99 percent of
any donor lungs.
His donor lungs don't have the CF gene mutation, and if things continue to go well, he won't need another major surgery.
Lung transplantation is the only life — saving therapy for patients with certain types of end — stage lung disease; however the procedure has limited availability because not
all donor lungs are safe for transplantation.
After all, would you really question where
a donor lung comes from if your life depends on it?