Lung transplant is the most advanced treatment for patients with severe diseases of the lung, such as emphysema, cystic fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension, to name a few. U.S. News & World Report named UCSF Medical Center's Lung Transplant Program a specialized center of excellence for treating cystic fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension.
Our lung transplant program has performed more than 340 transplants, mostly bi-lateral, since the program began in 1991. The transplant program has established a reputation for accepting and transplanting challenging, complex patients. Despite this, the survival rate for patients receiving lung transplants at UCSF is higher than the national average, according to data compiled by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients.
In 2012, the UCSF program received a silver award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the highest award given to a lung transplant program, for excellent outcomes for adults over a 2.5-year period from January 2009 to June 2011. Lung transplant patients at UCSF had a one-year survival rate of 93.6, considerably higher than the 84.3 "expected" survival rate.
The high survival rate is particularly significant because UCSF treats patients with the most complex conditions and the highest risk factors. UCSF is currently the leading medical center in the West based on these lung transplant outcomes and one of only three lung transplant programs in the country to have higher than expected one-year survival rates after transplant, according to data gathered by the national Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients.
Our team is dedicated to providing the most comprehensive medical and surgical care found anywhere. We are committed to supporting patients and their families during the entire process from the initial evaluation through the transplant surgery and after.
You'll need a referral from your primary care provider or specialist to make an appointment. Once you have the referral, please call the number below.
Lung Transplant Program
400 Parnassus Ave., Sixth Floor
San Francisco, CA 94143
Phone: (415) 353-4145
Fax: (415) 353-4166
Hours: Thursday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (exact times vary depending on number of physicians in clinic)
Please send in advance CT scans, chest X-rays, all test results and other images. To ensure a comprehensive first visit, please bring these medical records to your appointment as well.
For your first appointment please arrive 15 minutes before your appointment.
Your clinic visit may take one to three hours.
You'll be seen by a transplant pulmonologist, transplant nurse coordinator and possibly a transplant social worker.
To make an appointment, you'll need a referral from your doctor.
Your doctor should call the UCSF Heart and Lung Transplant Program at (415) 353-4145 and provide your medical history and recent physical examination and test results.
A referral form can be downloaded here.
Your information will be reviewed by the medical director of the lung transplant program. If appropriate, an appointment will be made for an evaluation by the lung transplant team.
The lung transplant team will review the following recent information:
For women, we request a gynecological exam with pap smear within the past year as part of an overall health assessment. If you're over age 40, we also ask that you have a mammogram within the past year.
For men over age 40, we ask that you undergo a prostate-specific antigent (PSA) test as part of the overall health assessment.
The transplant team includes a transplant surgeon, cardiologist, clinical social worker, transplant nurse coordinator and a physical therapist. The team reviews your medical history, test results and recommendations by your doctors.If you're identified as a potential lung transplant candidate, you'll be further evaluated during the next several weeks.
You and the doctor who referred you to UCSF will receive a written summary of your evaluation and the process to select lung transplant candidates.
Public parking for an hourly fee at UCSF Medical Center is available in the seven-level Millberry Union Garage at 500 Parnassus Ave. There are two garage entrances — one on the north side of Parnassus Avenue and another on Irving Street, just east of Third Avenue.
Another garage with an hourly fee, at 350 Parnassus Ave., is open Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Metered street parking is rarely available.
Patients being admitted to the hospital may be dropped off at the circular driveway leading to the main entrance at 505 Parnassus Ave. This area also may be used to pick up patients who are being discharged.
For more information about parking at Parnassus, call Campus Parking Services at 476-2566.
Valet parking service is available at the Ambulatory Care Center (ACC) at 400 Parnassus Ave. from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The valet service is free but patients must pay regular parking fees. For more information about the valet service, call (415) 476-6200.
A UCSF "greeter" also is available at the ACC from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to assist patients find their way.
UCSF Medical Center is accessible via Muni streetcar line N-Judah*, which stops at Second Avenue and Irving Street, and the following Muni bus lines, which stop in front of the hospital:
For more information about Muni visit, www.sfmuni.com.
* Wheelchair accessible bus routes
