A procedure to treat acid reflux could help in the prevention of chronic rejection in lung transplant patients, according to a study published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
Survival rates among lung transplant patients are the lowest of all transplant recipients. This is partly because of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome [BOS], a condition that causes scar tissue to form around small airways in the lungs. BOS, which effects roughly half of all lung transplant patients, results from rejection of the transplanted lung.
The study found that patients with acid reflux, in which gastric contents can be inhaled up into the lungs, are more likely to suffer lung transplant rejection as the acidity is likely to irritate the lung and triggers the rejection process.
Thus, they recommend laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery prior to lung transplant may help transplant patients in the odds to successful lung transplant surgery.
by RTT Staff Writer
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