Lung Transplant

If it’s hard to breathe because you have a serious respiratory condition or lung disease, look to University Health experts for top-quality lung transplantation services.

Do You Need a Lung Transplant?

Your lung doctor (pulmonologist) may recommend a transplant if other treatments do not improve serious lung conditions such as:

• Cystic fibrosis
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Heart disease or heart defects affecting the lungs
• Pulmonary fibrosis
• Pulmonary hypertension

Lung Health

Find complete care and treatment for a broad range of lung diseases and respiratory conditions at University Health. Consult our experienced doctors for a comprehensive approach to managing lung disease before considering lung transplantation.

Why Choose University Health?

Gain access to world-renowned lung transplantation research and innovation, medical expertise and surgical excellence at University Health. When you work with our transplant team doctors and surgeons and bilingual health care team members, you’ll experience compassionate, patient-centered care and support.

Experience and High-Quality Care

Count on high-quality care and services from the beginning of your care and throughout your life. We’ll respect your wishes while providing excellent specialized care that fits your individual needs. Your treatment integrates the latest transplant research for the best possible care.

Benefit from decades of lung transplantation experience and doctors who are experts in their field. Our skilled lung transplantation team has performed more than 690 lung transplants.

Some of the longest surviving lung transplant patients in the nation had their transplants at University Health.

Short Wait Times, Exceptional Outcomes

Patient success and survival outcomes at the transplant center exceed national expectations, according to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR). And our lung recipients have some of the shortest waiting times in the country for transplantation.

How to Get Transplant Care

Ask for a referral from your lung specialist (pulmonologist) to University Health to explore lung transplantation as a treatment option. Your specialist should check the patient criteria before beginning the referral process. You can also self-refer.

Evaluation Process

Determine if you are eligible for lung transplantation at University Health through an evaluation. Plan for:

• Your first visit to determine if you are sick enough to need a new lung
• Evaluation and testing to find out if you are strong enough to have lung transplantation based on your physical and mental health
• Decision from the transplant team about whether you are a candidate for a lung transplant

Transplant Process

If you are an approved lung transplant candidate, your team will put you on the national waiting list. Your next steps in care will be:

• Maintaining your health, not smoking and preparing yourself mentally while you’re on the lung transplant waiting list for surgery
• Having lung transplant surgery
• Recovering in the hospital after transplant surgery

Expect to get pre- and post-transplant patient education, resources and support services.

Types of Lung Transplantation Procedures

At University Health, you can receive two types of lung transplantation from deceased donors, including:

• Single lung – Transplants one lung
• Double lung – Transplants two lungs

Our Lung Transplant Milestones

University Health Transplant Institute milestones in lung transplant care:

• Transplantation of the first lung for the treatment of emphysema in North America
• First heart and double-lung transplant performed in San Antonio
• Transplantation of the first single lung for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension in the world