Outcomes Following Lung Transplant for COVID-19–Related Complications in the US
Authors: Tasoudis Panagiotis , Lobo Leonard J. , Coakley Raymond D. , Agala Chris B. , Egan Thomas M. , Haithcock Benjamin E. , Mody Gita N. , Long Jason M. 
Published: August 2023

Importance

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the use of lung transplant as a lifesaving therapy for patients with irreversible lung injury. Limited information is currently available regarding the outcomes associated with this treatment modality.

Objective

To describe the outcomes following lung transplant for COVID-19–related acute respiratory distress syndrome or pulmonary fibrosis.

Design, Setting, and Participants

In this cohort study, lung transplant recipient and donor characteristics and outcomes following lung transplant for COVID-19–related acute respiratory distress syndrome or pulmonary fibrosis were extracted from the US United Network for Organ Sharing database from March 2020 to August 2022 with a median (IQR) follow-up period of 186 (64-359) days in the acute respiratory distress syndrome group and 181 (40-350) days in the pulmonary fibrosis group. Overall survival was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional regression models were used to examine the association of certain variables with overall survival.

Exposures

Lung transplant following COVID-19–related acute respiratory distress syndrome or pulmonary fibrosis.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Overall survival and graft failure rates.

Results

Among 385 included patients undergoing lung transplant, 195 had COVID-19–related acute respiratory distress syndrome (142 male [72.8%]; median [IQR] age, 46 [38-54] years; median [IQR] allocation score, 88.3 [80.5-91.1]) and 190 had COVID-19–related pulmonary fibrosis (150 male [78.9%]; median [IQR] age, 54 [45-62]; median [IQR] allocation score, 78.5 [47.7-88.3]). There were 16 instances of acute rejection (8.7%) in the acute respiratory distress syndrome group and 15 (8.6%) in the pulmonary fibrosis group. The 1-, 6-, and 12- month overall survival rates were 0.99 (95% CI, 0.96-0.99), 0.95 (95% CI, 0.91-0.98), and 0.88 (95% CI, 0.80-0.94) for the acute respiratory distress syndrome cohort and 0.96 (95% CI, 0.92-0.98), 0.92 (95% CI, 0.86-0.96), and 0.84 (95% CI, 0.74-0.90) for the pulmonary fibrosis cohort. Freedom from graft failure rates were 0.98 (95% CI, 0.96-0.99), 0.95 (95% CI, 0.90-0.97), and 0.88 (95% CI, 0.79-0.93) in the 1-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up periods in the acute respiratory distress cohort and 0.96 (95% CI, 0.92-0.98), 0.93 (95% CI, 0.87-0.96), and 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74-0.91) in the pulmonary fibrosis cohort, respectively. Receiving a graft from a donor with a heavy and prolonged history of smoking was associated with worse overall survival in the acute respiratory distress syndrome cohort, whereas the characteristics associated with worse overall survival in the pulmonary fibrosis cohort included female recipient, male donor, and high recipient body mass index.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this study, outcomes following lung transplant were similar in patients with irreversible respiratory failure due to COVID-19 and those with other pretransplant etiologies.