This study was designed to summarize the clinical experience of harvesting the lung of a brain-death donor by international standardized methods so as to establish a set of standards and regulations that are applicable for harvesting the lung of brain-death donors in China. The patient was strictly determined according to international standardized method by two or more advanced neurologists, neurocranial surgeon, anesthetists, and ICU specialists using brain death diagnostic standards and brain death diagnostic technological specification. The family members signed a informed consent of abandoning treatment for brain death and he was a volunteer organ donor. The operation was performed on 1 brain-death donor who had endured 50 hours of mechanical ventilation to evaluate brain death and organ function. The donor was assessed by donor lung function test and international brain death standard. Then the organ was ready for lung transplantation.

This study was designed to summarize the clinical experience of harvesting the lung of a brain-death donor by international standardized methods so as to establish a set of standards and regulations that are applicable for harvesting the lung of brain-death donors in China. The patient was strictly determined according to international standardized method by two or more advanced neurologists, neurocranial surgeon, anesthetists, and ICU specialists using brain death diagnostic standards and brain death diagnostic technological specification. The family members signed a informed consent of abandoning treatment for brain death and he was a volunteer organ donor. The operation was performed on 1 brain-death donor who had endured 50 hours of mechanical ventilation to evaluate brain death and organ function. The donor was assessed by donor lung function test and international brain death standard. Then the organ was ready for lung transplantation.

Objective To summarize the clinical experience of harvesting and using the lungs of cardiac death donor.Methods The lungs from donation after cardiac death (DCD) were harvested and used for lung transplantation.The donors suffered from severe craniocerebral trauma or brain neoplasms and were identified after cardiac death post declaration of brain death.Written consent about DCD was obtained from the consanguinities.The donor lungs were harvested after clinical evaluation of donors with considerable function and after the determination of DCD.The preoperative lymphocytotoxic cross match test was negative,ABO blood type was compatible,and the donors were all suitable for the transplant procedure.Results Two bilateral lung transplantations and one single lung transplantation were performed,with the warm ischemic time being 23,27,and 32 min,respectively.The operative course was uneventful The ICU stay was 31,18,and 26 days respectively,with dramatic improvement of pulmonary function postoperatively.Acute rejection occurred in two cases,which was treated with bolus of corticoids.There were no infection in our 3 patients,and the life quality was satisfactory during the follow-up period.Conclusion The lung from DCD may be one of the available resources used for lung transplantation on the basis of efficient management of the potential donors and clear evaluation of the donors.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the security and effectiveness of raffinose-low potassium dextran solution (RLPDs) for donor lung preservation.MethodsFrom Sep.2002 to Dec.2011,131patients underwent lung transplantation in our institution,including 81cases of single lung transplantation and 50 cases of bilateral lung transplantation.There were 95 males and 36 females.A total of 129 donors were used for organ harvest.Two donors denoted their lungs to four patients receiving single lung transplantation. All the donors were flushed, perfused antegradely and retrogradely,and preserved with hypothermal RLPDs.The repeated reperfusion was necessary when the cold ischemic time was fairly long and the function of donor was poor.During operation,the blood gas analysis,mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) and breathing mechanics were monitored.Postoperatively,all the recipients received re-examination of cardiac ultrasonography,pulmonary function,blood gas analysis and chest imaging.ResultsAll lung transplantations were performed successfully,with a mean cold ischemic time of (193±21) min (range,65-630 min).There was a significant relationship between postoperative pneumonedema and donor lung cold ischernic time (P＜0.05),which was also observed between postoperative pneumonedema and primary graft dysfunction (P＜0.01). The blood gas analysis and oxygenation index were significantly improved postoperatively,with the mPAP and parameters of breathing mechanics being descended to a normal level.There were 24 early deaths in the first month post-transplant,with a mortality of 18.3％ (24/131),including 11cases of sepsis,7 cases of primary graft dysfunction,3 cases of heart failure,1case of bronchial stomal leak,1case of acute rejection,and 1case of pulmonary infarction.The pulmonary function was improved significantly 3 months postoperatively.Conclusion RLPDs is efficient in the preservation of donor lung,with the ability to alleviate ischemic reperfusion injury and improve pulmonary function.

Objective To summarize the clinical experience ot harvesting and using the lungs from donation after brain death (DBD) and donation after cardiac death (DCD,Maastricht category Ⅳ) in China.Methods Eleven potential DBDs and DCDs were evaluated by our transplant group preoperatively,including 6 cases of DCDs and 5 cases of DBDs,and all of them received the tests of sputum culture bedside bronchoscopy,chest X rays,and blood gas analysis.After clear evaluation,1 case of DCD and 2 cases of DBD were discharged from the group for bilateral inflammatory infiltration and poor oxygenation index,and one case of DCD was precluded due to long warm ischemic time (＞60min).The donor lungs from remaining 7 cases were harvested successfully after the declaration of brain death or cardiac death.The preoperative lymphocytotoxic cross match test was negative,ABO blood types were compatible,and the donors were all suitable for the transplant procedure.Results Seven lung transplants were performed successfully under ECMO support,including 5 cases of bilateral lung transplantation and 2 cases of single lung transplantation.One patient was complicated with severe infection and died of sepsis on postoperative day (POD) 39,and one was succumbed to multiple organ failure.Two patients suffered of acute rejection on POD 30 and POD 19,respectively,and obtained improvements by bolus steroid therapy.The remaining 3 patients all recovered uneventfully.During a follow up period,all the patients lived an active life style with high quality of life.The mean survival time was 23.3 months (3-51 months).Conclusion The DCD and DBD may be one of the available donor resources for lung transplantation after efficient management of the potential donors and detailed preoperative evaluation in China.

Objective To discuss the benefits of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) applied in the patients with primary or secondary pulmonary hypertension during the operation of lung transplantation. Methods Thirty cases of end stage lung disease subject to primary or secondary pulmonary hypertension received lung transplantation supported with ECMO between Nov. 2005 and July 2009. The single lung transplantation was performed on 18 cases and bilateral sequential single lung transplantation on 12 cases. ECMO was used in 2 patients as a bridge to the lung transplantation to maintain 19 and 6 days respectively, and ECMO support was given during lung transplantation. ECMO was removed after the transplantation if the oxygenation and hemodynamics were stable, otherwise, ECMO was applied continuously until the situation improved. Results All the operations of these patients were accomplished successfully and the ECMO was removed in 27 patients after the operation immediately. The average time with ECMO was 6. 81 + 0. 95 h, and pulmonary artery systolic pressure after lung transplantation was 31.67 + 8. 42 mmHg. The ECMO was continuously used after lung transplantation in three patients until the hemodynamics was stable, and ECMO in 2 of them was removed at 36th h and 6th day respectively after the operation, and one,receiving postoperative ECMO for 5 days, died of acute renal failure 2 weeks after the operation.Conclusion ECMO can replace CPB safely and effectively in lung transplantations for primary or secondary pulmonary hypertension patients. As a respiratory and circulatory support it can control pulmonary hypertension during operative period and can decrease the complications of lung transplantation.

Objective To investigate the effectiveness and safety of bilateral lobar lung transplantations (LLTx) in thoracic cavity size mismatching patients with end-stage lung diseases and analyze its prognosis.Method Clinical data of 34 patients receiving LLTx in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed between Sept.2002 to Dec.2012.LLTx were performed on 14 male and 20 female patients,with a mean age of 37.0 ± 6.3 years (ranging from 15 to 56 years).Indications for LLTx were idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (n =24),idiopathic pulmonary hypertension (n =2),Eisenmenger syndrome (n =3),bronchiectasis (n =2) and lymphangiomyomatosis (n =3).Amongst them 26 patients received LLTx under extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support and 3 on ECMO as a bridge to transplantation.Twenty-four middle/lower right lobes with left lower LLT,4 bilateral lower LLT,2 bilateral superior LLT and 4 split left lung LLT were performed.Ischemic time was 4.4± 1.2 h for the first lobe and 6.3 ± 1.4 h for the second.Result The mortality in postoperative prophase (30 days) was 23.5％.The 1-,2-,3-and 5-year survival rate after LLTx was 70.9％,60.8％,50.6％ and 36.2％ respectively.The main causes of mortality included primary graft dysfunction,acute rejection,multiple organ failure,bronchiolitis obliterans and sepsis.Lung function test was performed on 23 cases after transplantation and forced expiratory volume in first second,maximal voluntary ventilation accounting for the predicted value was (74.23 ± 4.86)％ and (72.0 ± 3.64)％,respectively.Conclusion This study demonstrates that for thoracic cavity size mismatching patients,LLTx are safe and effective in the treatment of end-stage lung diseases,which can ameliorate the lung function and prognosis.

Objective To investigate the influence of perioperative administration of Ambroxol on pulmonary function, postoperative complications, postoperative hospital-stay and cost in elderly lung cancer patients after thoracic lobectomy surgery.Methods One hundred and forty consecutive elderly patients who underwent thoracic lobectomy surgery for lung cancer were randomly assigned into 2 groups: control group (n=70) and Ambroxol group (n=70).In control group, subjects were given the standardized treatment.In the Ambroxol group, patients were given the standardized treatment plus Ambroxol (90 mg/q, 8 h/d) from the day of operation to postoperative 5 days.The preoperative general information, intraoperative conditions, pulmonary function tests, arterial blood gases, incidence of perioperative morbidity, duration of ICU stay, length and costs of postoperative hospital-stay were collected and compared between the 2 groups.Results The 2 groups were well matched for demographics and operative variables.The forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1),the forced vital capacity (FVC), peak expiratory flow rate (PEF) and arterial oxygen pressure were reduced in the 2 groups after operation as compared with before treatment, while the decreases of the above indexes were more significant in the control group than in the Ambroxol group (P＜0.05).Compared with the control group, the postoperative pulmonary complications declined, oxygenation index improved, the postoperative ICU occupancy rate and the length and costs of postoperative hospital-stay were decreased in the ambroxol group (all P＜ 0.05).Conclusions Perioperative administration of Ambroxol could reduce the incidence of pulmonary complications, improve the lung function, decrease the total hospitalization cost, shorten the length of hospital-stay, promote a rapid recovery after surgery, which is worthy of clinical application.

Objective To estimate the effects of risk factors on early survuval (90 days) after lung transplantation for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).Method We reviewed 49 cases of lung tansplant male patients which suffered from IPF.Two groups were set up according to the early survival.The early outcomes (90 days) were compared between two groups by multiple logistic regression analysis.Result The early survival rate was 81.6％.Multivariate analysis confirmed that mean pulmonary artery pressure and bilateral lung transplantation (BLTx) were risk factors after adjustment for potential confounders.Recipients' age,lung volume reduction on donors,and use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) were not risk factors for early mortality.Conclusion The increased pulmonary artery pressure and BLTx are risk factors for death after lung transplantation in IPF.Preoperative evaluation of mean pulmonary artery pressure and choosing suitable operative method could improve the surgical outcomes of lung transplantation.

Objective To observe the effects of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) on coagulation during lung trangplantation.Method Forty cases of end stage lung diseases received bilateral sequential single lung transplantation during July 2007 and Mar.2012.The patients were divided into two groups in terms of ECMO.ECMO was applied before lung transplantation if needed.The amount of bleeding during surgery was recorded.The venous blood samples were collected during and after operation for the measurements of the following parameters:activated whole blood clot time (ACT),prothrombin time (PT),activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT),thrombin time (TT) and plasma fibrinogen (Fg).Result The coagulation and the amount of bleeding showed no significant difference between the two groups.Wound infection occurred in 2 patients where the ECMO tube was inserted and femoral arterial thrombosis in one patient.All of the three patients were cured and discharged.Conclusion ECMO didn't cause excessive bleeding or coagulation dysfunction during lung transplantation,yet it maybe increase the occurrence of local thrombosis.