The Lung Transplant Waiting List

The Lung Transplant Waiting List (I made the List)
You will be placed on the lung transplant waiting list after we complete your evaluation and after your insurance approves your transplant. We will send you a letter stating that you have been added to the list. Your name, blood type, body size and test results will go into a national database at UNOS (the United Network for Organ Sharing). UNOS directs who can receive deceased (non-living) donor organs throughout the United States.You will receive a “lung allocation score.” This score shows how serious your medical condition is. Scores can range from 0 to 100. Most patients on the waiting list have scores between 30 and 60. Patients with the highest scores move toward the top of the waiting list.You must return to the Transplant Center at least every six months to repeat certain tests. We will use you test results to update your score. If you don’t have the tests, your score may go down to 0.The amount of time you will wait for an organ depends on your score, blood type and body size. You may wait a few days, several months or even years.Your donor Your new organs will be “matched” according to size and blood type. They must fit into the body about the same as the original organs.There are two types of donors – deceased donors and living donors.Deceased donors Deceased donors are people whose organs are donated soon after they die.You will not be given personal details about your deceased donor. If you and your family wish to express your thanks, you may write a letter to the donor’s family. Do not include your name or other personal details. Your nurse coordinator will forward your latter to the donor’s family through LifeSource, our local agency that handles organ donation.There is very small risk of getting a disease form a deceased donor (such as HIV or hepatitis). All donors are tested for disease, but some diseases may not show up at the time of testing.Living donors The waiting time or organs from deceased donors can be long. If you are on the waiting list, have severe lung diease and are not expected to survive the wait time, you may be considered for a living donor lung transplant. You may wish to discuss this with your tansplant coordinator.