There are case reports of lung transplantation for respiratory failure due to coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), but uncertainty surrounds patient selection, clinical outcomes, and the appropriateness of lung transplantation in this context.
1-3 We therefore analyzed lung transplantations performed between August 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021, and reported in the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) registry, which collates transplantation data from all patients in participating regions in the United States. The study was approved by the institutional review board at Cedars–Sinai Medical Center; informed consent was waived by the board. Of 3039 lung transplantations, 214 (7.0%) were performed for Covid-19–related respiratory failure, including 140 (4.6%) for acute respiratory distress syndrome and 74 (2.4%) for pulmonary fibrosis. The median number of lung transplantations performed for Covid-19–related respiratory failure per center was 2.5 (range, 1 to 25). Of the 214 lung transplantations, 197 (92.1%) were bilateral lung transplantations (including 2 heart–lung transplantations and 5 lung–kidney transplantations), and 17 (7.9%) were single-lung transplantations (including 1 lung–kidney transplantation).