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Lung Transplant

What Is a Lung Transplant?

A lung transplant is a surgical procedure to remove one or both diseased lungs from a patient and replace it with a healthy one from another person. There are two types of lung transplants:

  • Cadaveric transplants: The lungs come from deceased organ donors. The majority of lungs that are transplanted are this type.
  • Living transplant: Healthy, non-smoking adults who are a good match may be able to donate a part (a lobe) of one of their lungs. Individuals who donate a part of a lung can live healthy lives with the remaining lung tissue.

Read more about  how Stanford Medicine achieves 1,000th heart-lung and lung transplant »

Lung Transplant: Conditions Treated

You may be a candidate for a lung transplant if you have a chronic lung disease that is not responding well to other therapies. We perform lung transplants on patients of all ages, from tiny newborns to adults. Learn more about conditions we treat and who is a candidate for a lung transplant.

Types of Lung Transplants

There are many different types of lung transplant procedures. We will determine which procedure offers you the best outcome. Learn more about types of lung transplant procedures.

Lung Transplant Procedure: What to Expect

When a lung becomes available, we will begin the transplant process. Learn more about:

Lung Transplantation: Complications

As with any procedure, complications may occur, including rejecting the new lung. Learn more about lung transplant complications and how we manage them.

Contact Us

  • The Center for Advanced Lung Disease (ALD) provides care for patients with conditions such as cystic fibrosis, interstitial lung disease and more. Visit our clinic.

What Are the Functions of the Lungs?

The lungs are a pair of cone-shaped organs made up of spongy, pinkish-gray tissue. A membrane called the pleura surrounds them. Lungs take up most of the space in the chest, or the thorax (the part of the body between the base of the neck and diaphragm). The lungs have two functions:

  • Take in oxygen, which cells need to live and carry out their normal functions
  • Get rid of carbon dioxide, a waste product of the body's cells

The two lungs are separated from each other by the mediastinum, an area that contains:

  • The heart and its large vessels
  • Trachea (windpipe)
  • Esophagus
  • Thymus
  • Lymph nodes

The right lung has three sections, called lobes. The left lung has two lobes.

What Happens When We Breathe?

When you breathe:

  1. The air enters the body through the nose or the mouth.
  2. It then travels down the throat through the larynx (voice box) and trachea (windpipe).
  3. Air enters the lungs through tubes called main-stem bronchi.
  4. One main-stem bronchus leads to the right lung and one to the left lung.
  5. In the lungs, the main-stem bronchi divide into smaller bronchi and then into even smaller tubes called bronchioles. Bronchioles end in tiny air sacs called alveoli.

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