Anesthesiology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences
Doi
Abstract
The first pediatric lung transplant was performed in 1987 at the University of Toronto in a 15-year-old with familial pulmonary fibrosis. Since that time, over 2000 children have received lung transplants worldwide, with an annual number ranging between 99 and 137 over the past decade. For the anesthesiologist charged with managing these rare patients, an understanding of the indications that lead to transplantation, their pathophysiology, and the physiology of the transplanted lungs are critical. To provide a context for the anesthetic management of the child undergoing lung transplantation, we discuss the case of a 2-month-old who underwent bilateral lung transplantation for intractable respiratory failure. Both the unique aspects of this case and pediatric lung transplantation, in general, are presented. Then a review of the literature is discussed
