Heart/Lung Transplant

As a national leader in lung transplant and heart transplant, we've built a reputation as the busiest thoracic surgery center in the West, with a strong reputation for expertise in heart/lung transplant.

Why Choose UCLA for Heart/Lung Transplant?

Our program offers:

• Excellent outcomes: Our lung transplant patient outcomes are exceptional. Graft survival rates and patient survival rates for UCLA patients regularly rank among the highest in the U.S., according to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR).
• High volume: Our combined heart transplant and lung transplant volumes are among the largest in the U.S., making us the largest thoracic transplant program on the West Coast.
• Experience: We have successfully treated complex patients who require transplantation of multiple organs. Our physicians and surgeons are skilled in transplantation of all solid organs, including:
  • Liver transplant
  • Kidney transplant
  • Pancreas transplant
  • Small intestine transplant

Learn more about the lung transplant procedure.

Full Spectrum of Pulmonary Care

While some programs only specialize in one type of care, our team excels in numerous areas of lung transplantation and related medicine. We offer:

• Routine experience evaluating and treating patients with pulmonary vascular diseases and pulmonary hypertension.
• One of the few interstitial lung disease programs in the country.
• One of the largest programs in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and pulmonary arterial hypertension in the U.S.
• Leading expertise in cystic fibrosis, through Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA's accredited cystic fibrosis program. Our expertise spans childhood into adulthood.
• Experience working with lung transplant in patients with collagen vascular disease, a history of heart surgery or older age.

Patients who are candidates for heart/lung transplant also value our physicians' expertise in all types of cardiovascular dysfunction, including cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure and congenital heart disease.

What to Expect: Support Before, During and After a Transplant

We continue to care for you long after your transplant surgery is complete:

• Personalized care: From the moment you walk through the door, through the procedure and for years to come, we take pride in our approach to care. We engage you in in decision-making, in a personalized, culturally sensitive environment.
• Centralized evaluation: We try to make evaluation and appointments as convenient as possible for you and your loved ones. Pulmonology care and evaluations are in one centralized area, and whenever possible, we schedule appointments to minimize multiple visits.
• Rehabilitation and follow-up: Our rehabilitation and follow-up protocols help you return home as soon as possible. And our dedicated physicians and providers often continue to care for you for years to come - or help your referring physicians get answers.
• Pediatric-to-adult care in one hospital: For pediatric and adolescent patients dealing with cystic fibrosis or other conditions that may lead to transplant, one collaborative UCLA team provides all aspects of care in one facility.

Clinical Innovation, Research and Trials

Our groundbreaking lung transplant program has developed and improved the practices that define the future of heart/lung transplantation.

• We are pioneering ways to support patients waiting for a suitable donor organ:
• We can bridge patients to successful lung transplant, despite factors such as respiratory failure, right-side heart failure due to pulmonary hypertension, intubation or mechanical ventilation.
• When appropriate, we use ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), a process that involves a special machine that works like an artificial lung to oxygenate the blood. ECMO can help patients remain listed as a transplant candidate - or move to a more urgent position on the transplant list.

Learn more about lung cancer research and trials.