Prone ventilation improves oxygenation and results in more lungs transplanted in organ donors with hypoxemia and atelectasis

Hypoxemia is the most common barrier to lungs being transplanted from eligible brain-dead (BD) organ donors. Atelectasis is the principal reversible contributing factor to hypoxemia after brain death. We evaluated prospectively whether ventilation of BD donors in the prone position would reverse atelectasis, improve oxygenation, and result in more lungs transplanted.
Source: The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation - Category: Transplant Surgery Authors: Tags: Original Clinical Science Source Type: research