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Tacrolimus After Lung Transplant Cuts Chronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction

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— Calcineurin inhibitor significantly reduced CLAD rates in Scandinavian trial

By Elizabeth Short

MILAN — Once-a-day tacrolimus significantly reduced chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) in lung transplant patients compared with the standard immunosuppressant, according to the ScanCLAD trial.

Among patients who underwent double lung transplantation, CLAD occurred significantly more often among those who received cyclosporine (cumulative incidence 39%, 95% CI 31-48) versus those who got tacrolimus (13%, 95% CI 8-21, P<0.0001) at 36 months post-procedure, reported Göran Dellgren, MD, PhD, of the University of Gothenburg, in Sweden, at the European Respiratory Societyopens in a new tab or window meeting. Read the article in MedPage Today.

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Second lung transplant outcomes are detailed in recent analysis

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Over half of eligible patients die on waitlist, or have no record of being on one

By Lindsey Shapiro, PhD

More than half of the cystic fibrosis (CF) patients who may have been eligible for a second lung transplant died while on a waitlist or had no record of being placed on one, according to a recent analysis in the U.S. and Canada.

Among those who did have a re-transplantation, survival rates after the second procedure were lower than the first surgery, with survival linked to age and genetic status. Read the full story in Cystic Fibrosis News Today.

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Assessing Short-Term Outcomes and Frailty Measures Following Lung Transplantation

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The following is a summary of “Evaluation of Frailty Measures and Short-term Outcomes After Lung Transplantation,” published in the July 2023 issue of the Chest by  Swaminathan et al.

Before and after lung transplantation, frailty, measured as a singular construct, is associated with variable poor outcomes. Unknown is the utility of a comprehensive frailty assessment before transplantation. How do multiple frailty constructs, such as phenotypic and cumulative deficit models, muscle mass, exercise tolerance, and social vulnerabilities measured before lung transplantation, relate to short-term outcomes? Read the complete article in Physician’s Weekly.

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Northwestern Medicine Launches a Hispanic Program for Patients With Lung and Thoracic Diseases

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By Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

The Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute Hispanic Program was recently launched to offer personalized care for lung and thoracic patients in their native language, making life-saving care more accessible for the Hispanic community and people who prefer to speak Spanish by removing cultural and linguistic barriers.

Receiving a diagnosis of asthma, lung cancer or respiratory failure can be scary and challenging. Receiving care from a medical team that doesn’t speak your preferred language can make the experience more difficult. The Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute Hispanic Program was recently launched to offer personalized care for lung and thoracic patients in their native language, making life-saving care more accessible for the Hispanic community and people who prefer to speak Spanish by removing cultural and linguistic barriers.
Read the full story in OncLive.

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Vascular disease, diabetes among risks in years after lung transplant

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Routine monitoring of these patients urged to avoid serious health complications

By Lindsey Shapiro, PhD

Rates of metabolic and cardiovascular complications — from diabetes and kidney issues to hypertension and abnormal blood-fat levels — increased in the years following a lung transplant among people with cystic fibrosis (CF), according to a recent analysis in the Netherlands.

These findings emphasize a need for routine monitoring of transplant patients, its researchers noted. “Early recognition of these complications is crucial and will lead to earlier intervention, which could lead to improved prognosis after lung transplantation,” they wrote.
Read the full story in Cystic Fibrosis News Today.

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Q&A: 1-year anniversary of registry to advance pulmonary fibrosis research

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By Isabella Hornick and Joseph Lasky, MD

Given the rarity of pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonologists are constantly seeking to know more about the disease and advance research on treatment options.

Two valuable resources for this research come from the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) through its Patient Registry and Community Registry, the latter of which just celebrated its 1-year anniversary.
Read the full story in Healio.

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An inside look at COVID’s lasting damage to the lungs

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By Jeremy White, Pam Belluck, Noah Bassetti-Blum and Eleanor Lutz

More than three years after the start of the pandemic, many COVID-19 survivors continue to struggle. Some, especially those who became so severely ill that they were hospitalized and unable to breathe on their own, face lasting lung damage.

To better understand the long-term impact of COVID’s assault on the lungs, The New York Times spoke with three patients who were hospitalized during the pandemic’s early waves, interviewed doctors who treated them and reviewed CT scans of their lungs over time.
Read the full story from The New York Times.

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Join the fight for continued access to non-invasive testing!

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What is going on?

Medicare coverage for post-transplant tests, such as CareDx’s AlloMap and AlloSure, is being reviewed. The transplant community now has the opportunity to share comments and letters on the importance of these tests and how restricting access to these tests could negatively impact patients and their post-transplant health.

Why does this matter to you?

AlloMap and AlloSure help detect issues, such as rejection, with transplants earlier than traditional testing, while also helping patients avoid invasive procedures like biopsies. These tests have been trusted by the transplant community for over 15 years for heart transplant recipients, over 5 years in kidney transplant recipients, and over 2 years in lung transplant recipients.

New proposed coverage for these tests is more restrictive. If these new restrictions are put in place, it could limit access to these important tests. This could prevent your care team from being able to order these blood tests to check on how your transplant is doing when they think it is needed.

How can you help?

The patient voice is powerful and deserves to be heard on this important issue! From now until September 23, 2023, you can send a comment or letter to the groups making these decisions, voicing your perspective on the importance of these tests and need for continued access. 

While doing so in your own words is best, we have created the below prompts to help. To start your letter, select at least one of the prompts below that feels best for you and answer it in your own words. Be sure to include what kind of transplant you have had, a little bit about your own transplant story, and how non-invasive tests like AlloSure or AlloMap have impacted your post-transplant care.

Click here to learn more and start your letter!

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Consuming more omega-3 fatty acids preserves lung function in healthy adults

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By Isabella Hornick

In healthy adults, higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids promoted lung health by lowering the rate of yearly lung function decline, according to results published inAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

“The study provides the strongest evidence to date of a relationship between omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and lung health and underscores the importance of including omega-3 fatty acids in the diet, especially given that many Americans do not meet current guidelines,” Patricia A. Cassano, MPH, PhD, director of the division of nutritional sciences and the Alan D. Mathios Professor at Cornell University, told Healio. Read the full story in Healio.

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After Double-Lung Transplant, UVA Patient Is Again Competing in Triathlons

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By Alice Berry

R.J. Redstrom didn’t have much time left.

On a Monday in August 2020, still early in the pandemic, he noticed he had a cough. The next morning, he woke up feeling even worse – a rarity for Redstrom, whose intense fitness regimen usually helped prevent him from getting sick. He took a COVID test, and days later the results confirmed his fear: He had come down with the virus.

A week later, he couldn’t breathe.

The sudden and serious sickness was a new experience for Redstrom, who had always thought of himself as a healthy person. Read the full story in UVAToday.

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