Lung transplant evaluation and preparation

Over the course of two days, you’ll meet with several transplant team members. To help determine whether a lung transplant is right for you, they’ll: 

• Ask about your medical history and other health conditions that may affect your successful transplant.
• Assess your psychological and social readiness.
• Order lab and imaging tests, such as 
  • Blood tests 
  • Chest X-ray 
  • Colonoscopy to examine the lower large intestine 
  • Computed tomography (CT) scans to examine your lung shape, size and structure 
  • Dental exam, including X-rays 
  • Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan to measure bone density 
  • Frailty test to determine the risk of post-surgery complications 
  • Mammogram (for women) to detect abnormal breast growths 
  • Pulmonary function tests to show how well your lungs work 
  • Ultrasounds to check your abdominal organs 
  • Upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy to examine your esophagus, stomach and the upper part of your small intestine 

Your transplant coordinator will help you schedule all your appointments and guide you and your family through the evaluation process.

Help you and your transplant team make informed decisions about your care options when you bring:

• A family member or close friend who can help care for you after your surgery
• Insurance card/s
• Medical records
• List of medications
• Portable oxygen for the length of your evaluation

Our selection committee will review your evaluation information and test results to determine whether you’re a candidate for a lung transplant.

Your transplant coordinator will tell you the committee’s decision within one day.

If you’re not a candidate for a lung transplant, we’ll discuss other care options, such as a lung volume reduction surgery.

Our time to transplant is lower than the national average. Your wait time will depend on:

• Availability of donor lungs
• Whether you need a single lung or both lungs replaced
• Your blood type and chest size
• Your lung allocation score (LAS)

You have a better chance of receiving a transplant because we use advanced technology to make more donor lungs available.

• Ex vivo lung profusion (EVLP) keeps lungs alive longer outside the body
  
• Antiviral drugs mean you can safely receive lungs from a donor who had hepatitis C

Rely on your transplant care team to monitor your health, answer your questions, and support you and your family while you wait. You’ll have frequent visits to check your health. 

If you live outside of Grand Rapids, ask about options for virtual care. You may be able to receive some pretransplant care in your home or community.

Make your surgery and recovery easier by building strength through our pulmonary rehabilitation program.

When donor lungs become available, your transplant coordinator will call you to come to the hospital. It’s very important that you come to the hospital right away. 

Sometimes transplants are cancelled at the last minute because it’s not safe to perform the surgery. If your surgery is cancelled, your transplant coordinator will talk to you about next steps.