• Primary Pulmonary Hypertension
• Pulmonary Hypertension
• Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
• PPH Symptoms
• PPH Diagnosis
• PPH Causes
• PPH Treatment
  • Ambrisentan
  • Tracleer
  • Flolan
  • Remodulin
  • Prostacyclin
  • Lung Transplants
  • Thelin
• Diet Drugs and PPH
• Legal Remedies for PPH

Lung Transplant Treatment for PPH, Lung Transplantation for PPH Patients

Lung transplantation for PPH patients is an option for those with advanced disease for whom drug treatment has not slowed the disease process enough. A lung transplant is needed when the lung vessels have narrowed to such an extent that the lungs cannot supply the blood with enough oxygen for the body to function. Primary pulmonary hypertension occurs when the blood pressure in the pulmonary artery is too high. The scarring and cell growth of blood vessels in the lungs resulting from PPH causes the vessels to narrow and restrict blood flow. The restriction of lung blood flow causes a backpressure in the right ventricle of the heart (The right ventricle is responsible for pumping the oxygen-poor blood from the heart into the lungs for re-supply). The backpressure allows less oxygen to get into the blood and causes the right ventricle of the heart to become overworked. Over time, the right ventricle can weaken and fail.

Lung Transplant

The first lung transplants were performed in the United States in 1981. Many of the patients who received these first transplants were patients with primary pulmonary hypertension. The survival rate for PPH patients who undergo lung transplantation is the same for other lung transplant patients; about 37% survive for 5 years and about 60% live for one year.

Single Lung Transplant

The most common type of lung transplantation surgery in primary pulmonary hypertension patients is now the single lung transplant. In this procedure, one lung is replaced; either the left or right. The first single lung transplant was performed in 1983 for patients with pulmonary fibrosis. The double lung transplants are also performed on PPH patients, but are relatively rare.

Single lung transplants have less complications and a survival rate of 1 year (for 70% of patients); higher than that of the full lung transplant. Also, research suggests that the right heart ventricle, which is being overworked in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension, is able to heal itself. Indeed, data suggests that after a single lung transplant, both the structure and function of the right ventricle improve dramatically.

Complications of Lung Transplantation

Complications of lung transplants in PPH patients include rejection of the new lung by the body and infection. Patients may be required to take medications for the duration of their life that reduce the immune system's response. The medications have to overcome the immune system's natural response to reject the new lung, since it is detected as a foreign body.

Waiting Lists

Lung transplants, as with other organ transplantation, is dependent on the availability of the organs from organ donors. The waiting lists for donor organs can be quite long and the waiting times differ in various parts of the country. Additionally, the PPH patient must find a lung that matches his or her body chemistry, and it sometimes can take longer to find a good match.

Last Revision: December 18, 2007

MediaFact is an important Internet resource about drug side effects connected with Stevens Johnson Syndrome and Primary Pulmonary Hypertension.