ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Lung transplantation is an acceptable and potentially life-saving treatment option for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome and pulmonary fibrosis. This study was conducted to determine whether recipients of lung transplantation (LT) for COVID-19-related lung disease have comparable outcomes to other recipients with a similar level of lung dysfunction. METHODS: The Organ Procurement and Transplant Network database was queried for adult LT candidates between 2006 and 2021. Recipients with COVID-19-related respiratory failure were matched 1:2 using a nearest-neighbor algorithm. Kaplan-Meier methods with log-rank tests were used to compare long-term survival. A proportional hazards model was used to calculate risk of death. RESULTS: A total of 37,333 LT candidates from all causes were compared with 334 candidates from COVID-19-related respiratory failure. COVID-19 recipients were more likely to be younger (50 vs 57 years, P < .001), male (79% vs 60%, P < .001), require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (56.3% vs 4.0%, P < .001), and have worse lung function (lung allocation score, 82.4 vs 47.8; P < .001) at transplantation. Subsequently, 227 COVID-19 recipients were matched with 454 controls. Patients who received a transplant for COVID-19 had similar rates of mechanical ventilation, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, postoperative complications, and functional status at discharge compared with controls. There was no difference in overall survival or risk of death from COVID-19 (hazard ratio, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.45-1.53; P = .54). CONCLUSIONS: Six-month survival for recipients of LT for COVID-19-related respiratory failure was comparable to that of other LT recipients.
ABSTRACT
The 9th biennial conference titled "Stem Cells, Cell Therapies, and Bioengineering in Lung Biology and Diseases" was hosted virtually, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, in collaboration with the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the Alpha-1 Foundation, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy. The event was held from July 12th through 15th, 2021 with a pre-conference workshop held on July 9th. As in previous years, the objectives remained to review and discuss the status of active research areas involving stem cells (SCs), cellular therapeutics, and bioengineering as they relate to the human lung. Topics included 1) technological advancements in the in situ analysis of lung tissues, 2) new insights into stem cell signaling and plasticity in lung remodeling and regeneration, 3) the impact of extracellular matrix in stem cell regulation and airway engineering in lung regeneration, 4) differentiating and delivering stem cell therapeutics to the lung, 5) regeneration in response to viral infection, and 6) ethical development of cell-based treatments for lung diseases. This selection of topics represents some of the most dynamic and current research areas in lung biology. The virtual workshop included active discussion on state-of-the-art methods relating to the core features of the 2021 conference, including in situ proteomics, lung-on-chip, induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-airway differentiation, and light sheet microscopy. The conference concluded with an open discussion to suggest funding priorities and recommendations for future research directions in basic and translational lung biology.