Lung transplant
World-class lung transplant care
For people with advanced lung disease, a lung transplant can be a chance for a new start. At Penn Medicine, we understand the life-changing effects of lung transplant because we’ve helped thousands of people through the process.
Our lung transplant team is one of the most experienced in the world, and it shows: Our results are consistently better than the national averages. We’re also experts at complex dual-organ transplants, such as lung-heart and lung-liver, that most transplant centers don’t offer.
From your first consultations with the Penn Transplant Institute through post-transplant recovery, we’re here for you and your family at every step with exceptional care and all the support you need.
Your path to lung transplant
Your dedicated lung transplant team has decades of experience guiding patients through the lung transplant journey. We’re passionate about providing the most advanced, personalized care available.
If you and your doctor decide to consider lung transplant, you meet with our team for a consultation, where we discuss your medical history and your current health. If a lung transplant evaluation is the right next step for you, we schedule comprehensive exams and medical testing to determine whether you’re a good candidate for a lung transplant.
If you’re a good candidate for lung transplantation, we place you on the lung transplant waiting list. While you’re waiting, we work together to manage your care and keep you ready for transplant when the time comes.
After your transplant, we carefully monitor all aspects of your healing, recovery, and life after lung transplant. We’re your partner in health for life.
Global leaders advancing lung transplant medicine
At Penn Medicine, we’re passionate about making lung transplants available to as many people as possible. We’ve pioneered procedures and treatments that keep transplant candidates healthier as they’re awaiting a donor organ and make more donor lungs available. Our surgeons are experts at performing high-risk and complex lung transplant procedures, with a passion for making transplants possible for people who were told elsewhere that a transplant wasn’t possible.
Our fellowship-trained physicians are respected worldwide for their expertise in lung transplantation. Many are named among America’s Top Doctors and Best Doctors in America. The nursing team at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) consistently earns Magnet Recognition®, the highest honor awarded for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Support through every stage of lung transplant at Penn Medicine
A transplant affects every aspect of your life, so you need a team that understands the challenges of this life-changing choice. Our team is here for you and your family at every step of the transplant process with specialized support.
A transplant is an emotional journey. Our transplant psychiatrists are here to listen and help you navigate the challenges of waiting for a transplant and recovering afterward. Our social workers are also licensed counselors who can offer support and help you get the resources you need.
A lung transplant affects every aspect of your life, including your finances. Our financial counselors help you understand health insurance and reimbursement options, Medicare, veterans’ benefits, and state assistance. They’re available at any time to discuss your options or connect you with resources to help with the financial impact of organ transplant.
Our nutritionists have special expertise in the needs of transplant patients. They work with you at every step to make sure you’re eating a diet that gets you the nutrients you need.
Our interfaith chaplains are available to offer emotional and spiritual care to you and your caregivers at any point in your lung transplant journey. We listen without judgment and are here to comfort. We also welcome your home clergy and will gladly connect you with a local clergy member of any faith.
No one knows what you’re going through like other transplant patients and caregivers. Our ongoing lung transplant support groups let you connect with others who’ve been on your journey. Patients and caregivers in all stages of the lung transplant process are welcome. Speak to your provider for more information.
We understand how difficult a long stay away from home can be, and we strive to make your time with us as comfortable as possible. We’re proud to welcome transplant patients and their families to our low-cost, homelike guest house, the Clyde F. Barker Penn Transplant House. Your social worker can also help you find other affordable accommodations near Penn Medicine that specialize in serving patients.
Advanced dual-organ transplants
Dual organ transplants require advanced care. Most hospitals aren’t able to do these complex procedures, but it’s one of our specialties. Our team is one of just a few nationwide with the expertise to perform heart-lung and lung-liver transplants.
Ex vivo lung perfusion: Innovative technology for restoring donor lungs
We’ve helped pioneer ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP), a treatment that restores donor lungs, making more transplantable lungs available.
Innovative lung transplant research at Penn Medicine
Our transplant team doesn’t just provide excellent care. Our doctors are also researchers working to improve lung transplantation and improve the lives of our patients before, during, and after lung transplantation.
Our doctors
Our providers work with you to plan and deliver exceptional treatment and personalized care.
Locations
Our hospitals, multispecialty medical centers, pharmacies, labs and more offer outstanding, personalized care for patients all across the region.
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Patient stories
New lungs, a new liver, and a new lease on life
Decades after a childhood diagnosis of cystic fibrosis, Donald traveled across the world to find transplant care he could trust at Penn Medicine.
Penn’s first COVID-19 lung transplant patient celebrates new life
Fred Rahmanian was the first patient with COVID-19 to receive a lung transplant at Penn Medicine, and the first in the state.
Back on her feet and breathing
The Penn Lung Rescue team kept Bri Iacona alive for four months with the most advanced form of life support before she could have a double lung transplant.