Lung Transplant Program

Lung transplant support and care

UCSF Health lung transplant providers have worked together for many years, enabling us to provide seamless, comprehensive, whole-person care. Your transplant team includes:

• Surgeon

• Pulmonologist

• Nurse coordinator

• Anesthesiologist

• Nutritionist

• Pharmacist

• Respiratory therapist

• Physical therapist

• Psychiatrist

• Social worker

• Case manager

We guide you through every step of the transplant process, coordinating your care from evaluation to surgery to life after transplant. Your dedicated team continues to support you at follow-up appointments. Between appointments, we are available to answer questions and provide help.

Supporting you through the lung transplant journey

We understand the challenges of waiting for donor lungs. We keep your condition stable, so you are ready for transplant when a lung becomes available. Our specialists treat a range of lung conditions, including:

• Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency

• Bronchiectasis

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

• Cystic fibrosis

• Interstitial lung disease

• Pulmonary hypertension

• Scleroderma

After transplant, you'll need to stay nearby so we can support you and monitor your recovery. The Kôz Hospitality House provides comfortable, affordable private rooms and communal kitchens for transplant recipients and their caregivers.

Once you return home, we continue to monitor you closely. We have outreach clinics to bring lung transplant care close to home and use telehealth appointments in between visits. We also monitor your condition remotely, using personal spirometry devices that collect information on your lung function. This monitoring helps us identify early signs of organ rejection so we can intervene with treatment.

We also offer a network of people and resources for you and your loved ones. You and your caregivers are welcome at our free transplant support group meetings before and after transplant.

Making more donor lungs available

We are leading efforts to safely expand the pool of available donor lungs, reducing time on the waitlist. Our team has:

• Expanded the number of lungs available from hepatitis C-positive donors

• Used temperature-controlled devices for transporting donor lungs, enabling the team to travel over longer distances

• Increased the number of viable donor lungs available after circulatory death

• Used ex vivo lung perfusion technology to recondition donor lungs