Authors: Cypel M, Keshavjee S
PMID: 32857989 PMCID: PMC7447224 DOI: 10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30393-3
Abstract
Several respiratory viruses are known to cause acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Survival and lung recovery rates are well known for influenza viruses; however, ARDS related to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has posed an unprecedented challenge. Lung transplantation has been offered as a life-saving therapy for some patients with COVID-19 who have presented with persistent lung failure despite several weeks or months of support in the intensive care unit (ICU). To date, only a handful of cases have been reported via the media or scientific reports.1 In these initial reports, early outcomes have been acceptable for this severely ill group of patients. As a high-intensity therapy in the context of a new disease, publication bias is also expected to occur—more cases have probably been seen but not reported because of poor outcomes.
Keywords: lung transplant, COVID-19
