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TEXAS CHILDREN'S PEDIATRIC LUNG
TRANSPLANT PROGRAM
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Texas
Children's Pediatric
Lung Transplant Program |
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Receiving a lung transplant is a wonderful
gift from an anonymous family. Most of our transplant patients
recover within days and the average duration of a lung transplant
hospitalization is 11 days. Infants and previously hospitalized
children and adolescents often require longer hospitalization.
Discharge from the hospital is, in many ways, the dawn of a new and
better life for most transplant patients.
It's important, however, for patients and
families
to remember that complications happen.
The lung is the organ most frequently
infected and most frequently and severely rejected by the body’s
immune system. The medications used after transplant to suppress the
immune system also can cause complications. For that reason, Texas
Children's Pediatric Lung Transplant Program team requires patients and
families to stay in the Houston area for
the first three months after transplant and to return for thorough
evaluations on a regular basis.
Quality of life is usually dramatically
improved following transplantation. Most children and families are amazed at the improvement
in energy, attitude and appetite. We believe that it is important for all recipients,
especially adolescents, to have a plan for the future, including
academic, social and career goals.
School attendance is expected. We
transplant children so that they can live “near normal” lives.
Despite the requirement for lifelong immunosuppression, most
children return to school. The teacher, school nurse and
principal will need to understand the child's condition, that physical education without contact sports is desirable,
and that with severe community viral outbreaks, short breaks from school
may be necessary. Good hand hygiene can reduce the incidence
of community acquired viral respiratory infections.
Return visits to Texas Children's Hospital occur at six, nine, 12,
18, 24 and 30 months after transplantation and periodically
thereafter. For some acute illnesses or follow-up
on complications, additional visits may be required. Families need
to keep travel and hotel expenses in mind as they consider
transplantation.
Partnership and communication with
referring physicians after patients return home are vital. It is important for referring physicians
to see the transplant recipient soon after return home to:
- Establish a baseline examination in
the event of acute illness.
- Establish a hierarchy of
communication with the Texas Children's pediatric lung transplant team, preparation for lab work and general reacquaintance.
Whenever there is confusion or
uncertainty, call your Texas Children's pediatric lung transplant coordinator. This
is especially important if the primary care physician at home prescribes a new
medication or wants to modify the prescribed medications with which
the patient was discharged.
Projected survival statistics are getting better slowly. Most
children referred to Texas
Children's and evaluated for lung transplantation will survive to get
organs. The chance of survival is usually greater than 95 percent
for the transplant operation and greater than 90 percent for the transplant hospitalization. The survival
probability at one year is 85 percent; at five years is 65 percent; and
at 10 years is 40 percent.
Texas Children's Pediatric Lung Transplant Program
team strongly believes that with hard work and progress in
care and immunosuppressant medications, future survival rates will
be higher.
One of the most encouraging and inviting aspects of our
program is our short waiting list. In our first 20 transplants, the
median waiting time was less than 2 months. In our first 100
transplants, fewer than 5 waited more than 8 months.
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