Okayama University Hospital has successfully completed a contralateral lung transplant in which a left lung from a donor was transplanted in the right lung cavity of a man in his 60’s with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia on July 3rd. (Donor: woman in her 50’s; providing facility: Osaka General Medical Center.)

A contralateral lung transplant was conducted at Kyoto University Hospital this March between living subjects; however, this was the first time in Japan the same transplant was conducted, using a lung from a brain-dead donor.

The transplant operation was conducted between 9:32 am to 4:32 pm on the same day with approximately 30 surgical staff including Associate professor Takahiro Oto from the Department of Respiratory Medicine , Okayama University Hospital. The recipient man was diagnosed with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia, registered with the organ transplant network in October 2012, and was waiting for a donor.

At the interview after the transplant, Associate professor Oto and the others explained, “From among the 2 lungs, the right needed the transplant; however, what was provided was a left lung. There was the option of abandoning the plan due to medical reasons, but the possibility of this being the last chance for a transplant for this patient was high. We expect the patient to be able to leave the hospital in 3 months if he makes a smooth recovery.”

With the success of this transplant, an expansion of opportunities for providing organs to more patients suffering from severe lung diseases is anticipated.