Factors Associated with Very Long-Term Survival for Lung Transplant Recipients

Purpose While median survival for adult lung transplants recipients is approximately 6 years, there is a subset of patients that experiences much greater longevity. We sought to elucidate the characteristics of very long-term survivors and determine the factors associated with this outcome. Methods Utilizing the United Network for Organ Sharing Standard Transplant Analysis and Research files, we retrospectively identified adult recipients of lung transplants between 1987 and 2004. We defined the very long-term survival (VLT) cohort by those who lived ≥15 years post transplant. The remaining patients served as the control group. Baseline recipient and donor characteristics as well as outcomes were compared using chi-squared analyses for categorical data and t-tests for continuous variables. A multivariate logistic regression model was implemented to determine the influence of these factors on the odds of VLT survival. Results Between 1987 and 2004, 11,669 patients met inclusion criteria, and 1,296 (11%) survived ≥ 15 years. VLT survivors were younger (43±12 vs 49±12 years; p Conclusion Approximately 11% of lung transplant recipients from 1987 to 2004 have lived to become VLT survivors. Factors associated with the odds of VLT survival were related to younger age, race congruence between donor and recipient, and receipt of a double lung transplant. Information gleaned from VLT survivors can inform best practices for allograft selection with the aim of prolonging survival for the lung transplant population at large.