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Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2015; 63(08): 693-698
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1387821
Original Thoracic
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Evaluation of Short-Term Outcome after Lung Transplantation in the Lung Allocation Score Era

Nikolaus Kneidinger
1   Department of Internal Medicine V, Comprehensive Pneumology Center, Member of the German Center for Lung Research, University of Munich, Munich, Germany
,
Julia Holzborn
2   Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Munich, Munich, Germany
,
Stephan Czerner
3   Department of Anesthesiology, University of Munich, Munich, Germany
,
Thomas Weig
3   Department of Anesthesiology, University of Munich, Munich, Germany
,
Jürgen Behr
1   Department of Internal Medicine V, Comprehensive Pneumology Center, Member of the German Center for Lung Research, University of Munich, Munich, Germany
,
Hauke Winter
4   Department of Thoracic Surgery, University of Munich, Munich, Germany
,
Claus Neurohr
1   Department of Internal Medicine V, Comprehensive Pneumology Center, Member of the German Center for Lung Research, University of Munich, Munich, Germany
,
René Schramm
2   Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Munich, Munich, Germany
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

18 April 2014

03 July 2014

Publication Date:
03 September 2014 (online)

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Abstract

Background In December 2011, the Eurotransplant Foundation (Leiden, The Netherlands) changed the allocation system for donor lungs from a model based on urgency and waiting time to the lung allocation score (LAS).

Objective The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of the LAS implementation on the early outcome after lung transplantation in Germany.

Methods We therefore retrospectively studied the outcome of the last 50 patients transplanted before and the first 50 patients transplanted after LAS implementation.

Results Both patient groups were comparable in baseline characteristics at the time of transplantation. Postoperative hospital stays were comparable between the groups, that is, 40.3 ± 26.8 and 40.3 ± 31.3 days (p = 0.992). Also, survival rates on intensive care, during entire hospital stay, at 90 days, 6 month, and 1 year after transplant were comparable between the groups. The retrospectively calculated LASs of the patients transplanted under the old allocation system were not statistically significantly different from those after LAS implementation, that is, 46.5 ± 14.2 and 51.2 ± 17.4 (p = 0.139).

Conclusion We demonstrate, for the first time, that implementation of the LAS in Germany had no negative effect on the early outcome after lung transplantation. Our data indicate that patients transplanted before implementation of the LAS had a similar prospective transplant benefit.

Keywords

lung allocation score - LAS - lung transplantation - transplant benefit
 

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