At the Penn Lung Transplant Program, donors and recipients are paired by physiological match (e.g., blood type, size and organ needed) and Lung Allocation Score (LAS), a system implemented by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) that ranks patients based on medical urgency and net transplant benefit. Many patients who have been turned down for transplantation at other centers have successfully undergone lifesaving transplant procedures at Penn.
Lung Transplant Waiting Time and LAS
Fewer patients are dying while waiting for a donor lung at Penn because patients needing lung transplants are getting onto the UNOS transplant waiting list faster. Since 2002, the wait for a lung transplant at Penn has fallen from an average 579 days to less than 80 days—complementing a significant increase in transplant volume. High-risk patients typically have higher LAS, thus their expected wait for an organ may be quite short.
In 2005, the United Network for Organ Sharing implemented the lung allocation score (LAS) system which changed how donor lungs are assigned to patients.
Need an appointment? Request one online 24 hours/day, 7 days/week or call 800-789-PENN (7366) to speak to a referral counselor.
