Longer life or more life: choose one please

In the pre-2005, wait time –based system of lung allocation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients listed for lung transplant had a distinct advantage in the competition for donor organs because the system ironically favored those who could survive 2-3 y before receiving a transplant. The Lung Allocation Sc ore system (LAS), implemented in 2005, refocused the system to directly address medical urgency to reduce the risk of dying while waiting for a lung donation.1 Consequently, despite severely impaired lung function and dismal quality of life, transplant candidates with COPD became less likely recipie nts for donated lungs because of their relatively longer survival on the wait list.

Source: Journal of Surgical Research - September 4, 2018 Category: Surgery Authors: Barbara C. Cahill, Sanjeev Raman, John R. Stringham, Stephen H. McKellar, Craig H. Selzman, Theodore G. Liou Tags: Commentary Source Type: research