Airway problems in lung transplantation

Although tremendous progress has been made over the past decade in clinical lung transplantation, bronchial anastomotic complications continue to be a significant source of morbidity and potential mortality in lung transplant recipients. Fortunately, airway complications no longer limit the success of the procedure. The key to minimizing the incidence of these complications is to cut the donor bronchus short. Perioperative steroids clearly do not preclude successful bronchial anastomotic healing. Lastly, the relatively few patients who do sustain an anastomotic stricture may be successfully managed with bronchoscopic stent placement.