Update on medical complications involving the lungs

Abstract

Lung transplant is now an accepted treatment for end-stage lung disease with improving survival and an increasing number of transplants being performed every year. Recognition of the common medical complications after lung transplant is important for timely diagnosis and treatment. This review will highlight the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of several noninfectious pulmonary complications that are encountered in lung transplant recipients. The review focuses on several broad areas of medical complications after lung transplant, including native lung complications, malignancies, venous thromboembolism, drug toxicity, and pleural disease. Each of these problems is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality after lung transplant. We review the recent publications in these areas that have identified improved ways to diagnose and treat these complications. Despite its relatively short history, the field of lung transplantation has made significant progress over the past 25 years. The medical advances surrounding lung transplant are not only related to the surgical procedure and immunosuppression, but also to the ability of physicians to diagnose and treat the common complications after transplant. Improvements in the diagnosis and management of these posttransplant medical complications will hopefully lead to even greater survival after lung transplantation in the future.