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Diagnosis, Death in Pulmonary Fibrosis Seen Earlier in Black Patients

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— Disparities in age pervasive, say researchers

Black patients with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) consistently experienced poor outcomes associated with their disease at earlier ages than other groups, including hospitalization and death, according to U.S. registry data spanning nearly two decades.

In an analysis from the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Registry (PFFR) from 2003 to 2021, a PF diagnosis in Black individuals occurred about 10 years earlier, on average, before their white and Hispanic counterparts (P<0.001), reported Ayodeji Adegunsoye, MD, MS, of the University of Chicago Department of Medicine, and colleagues.
Read the full story in MedPage Today.

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Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation After Lung Transplantation to Predict and Establish Risk Model

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The following is the summary of “Establishment of a risk prediction model for prolonged mechanical ventilation after lung transplantation: a retrospective cohort study” published in the January 2023 issue of Pulmonary medicine by Gao, et al.

Mortality rates are higher for patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV), often defined as mechanical ventilation for more than 72 hours following lung transplantation with or without tracheostomy. 
Read more in Physician’s Weekly.

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Confronting My Fear of a Lung Transplant Because of CF

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The thought of receiving a lung transplant can prompt a range of emotions

Fear often triggers one’s fight-or flight instincts. Depending on the circumstances, when it happens to me, I’ll either persevere through an unwanted situation or become paralyzed by fear. When I become frozen, I don’t want to do anything, and I let the fear caused by the situation just flush over me.

One of my biggest fears is something that’s pretty common for people with cystic fibrosis (CF): having a lung transplant and rehabbing afterward. Read the full story in Cystic Fibrosis News Today.

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Low Bacterial Diversity in Lungs Linked to Worse CF Outcomes

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Absence of a dominant genus, more diversity indicative of better lung function

People with cystic fibrosis (CF) and advanced lung disease who have bacterial communities dominated by just one type of bacteria have a higher risk of lung transplant or death than those with more diverse communities, a study reports.

The risk of needing a lung transplant or death was increased by 80% in patients with low bacterial diversity, compared with those without a dominant genus — a median survival without needing a lung transplant of 1.6 years versus 2.9 years. Read more in Cystic Fibrosis News Today.

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There May Be a Better Way to Allocate Precious Donor Lungs for Transplant

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MONDAY, Jan. 9, 2023 (HealthDay News) — A new way of allocating donor lungs that eliminates geographical restrictions could save more lives, new research suggests.

In early 2023, the current U.S. system, which looks for compatible candidates within a fixed radius, will be replaced by the Composite Allocation Score. The new score will prioritize a candidate’s medical needs. Read more in U.S. News & World Report.

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A Houston mom’s severe COVID led to a lung transplant. Now she’s grateful to be home with family.

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One year ago, Krystal Taylor-Vasquez spent the holidays in a bed in the intensive care unit, hoping for the double lung transplant that would save her life.

The Houston woman never expected her condition to deteriorate so quickly when she went to the Memorial Hermann emergency room with a severe COVID-19 infection in the summer of 2021. 
Read the full story in the Houston Chronicle.

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New method of donor-lung distribution could decrease deaths of candidates on transplant waitlist

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A new method of donor-lung distribution is projected to decrease the number of candidate deaths who are on the waitlist for lung transplant, according to a study by Cleveland Clinic and the U.S. Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) published in The American Journal of Transplantation. Read the full article in Medical Life Sciences.

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‘Excellent’ Outcome With Lung Transplant From COVID-19 Patient

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Report on 1st transplant in scleroderma patient predicts future success

The case of a person with scleroderma who successfully received a lung transplant from a donor who had tested positive for COVID-19 may predict positive outcomes for other patients, according to a recent report.

“To our knowledge this represents the first successful case of lung transplantation of donor lungs positive for COVID-19,” the researchers wrote. Read more in Scleroderma News.

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