Lung Transplantation

Lung transplant recovery

01/12/2009

Question:

Hello. My question is about my girlfriend who had a lung tran transplant on July 26, 2008. Its almost about to be a full six months. What i would like to know is that she has been kept in isolation in her house since she left the hospital after the surgery. I have read that patients after having done the surgery have been able to go back to their normal activities and go out, and not be isolated at home. The reason why she says her doctors have her in isolation is they dont want her to catch an infection. So i would like to know if her doctor`s are wrong for having in isolation this whole time or are they right. Thank you for your time.

Answer:

As with all solid organ transplant recipients, lung transplant patients are at increased risk for all types of infections. This is because the medication that they take to prevent rejection of their transplanted lung affects and weakens their immune system, making them potentially susceptible to a myriad of infections.
While every case has to be considered individually, recipients of lung transplants are generally counseled to:

wash their hands frequently,

avoid persons who are ill,

avoid recently immunized infants, and

avoid areas of building construction or demolition.

While a physician may recommend wearing a mask or temporary isolation during a specific outbreak or in a potentially high risk situation, no data exist that suggest that recipients of lung transplants be kept in isolation indefinitely.

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Response by:

David R. Nunley, MD, FCCP
Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine
Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine
Department of Internal Medicine
College of Medicine
The Ohio State University