Lung transplantation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a national cohort is without obvious survival benefit.

BACKGROUND: The objective in lung transplantation is to prolong life, but the survival effect in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or alpha1-anti-trypsin deficiency emphysema is still unresolved. This study assesses the impact of diagnosis, single-lung transplantation (SLT) vs bilateral lung transplantation (BLT) and timing of transplantation on survival in a national cohort.

METHODS: In 219 consecutive patients accepted onto the lung transplantation waiting list in Norway, 1990 to 2003, we assessed predictors of death: (1) on the waiting list; (2) 90 days after transplantation. For each period we used Cox regression, including age, gender, diagnosis, baseline pulmonary function tests, cardiac catheterization data, exercise capacity and transplant type, as potential predictors. Survival benefit was assessed graphically by combining adjusted survival curves after transplantation with the curve for those waiting, modeling transplantation after 6, 12 or 24 months.

RESULTS: Mean patient age was 49 years (SD 10), with 55% women. High forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)) percentage predicted death on the waiting list. Diagnoses other than COPD/emphysema and receiving SLT were associated with death 90 days after transplantation. In COPD/emphysema, there was no clear survival benefit from BLT or SLT. For patients in the "Other" group, the data suggest a survival benefit from BLT.

CONCLUSIONS: In COPD/emphysema, there was no obvious survival benefit from lung transplantation, which questions prolongation of life as the primary motivation for the procedure.