Lung Transplant Program

Why choose UCLA Health for lung transplantation?

The UCLA Lung Transplant Program is one of the country’s most successful programs of its kind. We have performed more than 1,500 lung replacements, and consistently rank among the top programs in the nation by volume.

When you choose UCLA Health for a lung replacement, you benefit from:

Established expertise: We are the highest-volume thoracic transplant center in the western United States and second busiest in the country. Seeing so many patients means that our physicians have experience and expertise in caring for all kinds of patients, including those with advanced disease.

Excellent outcomes: We routinely treat patients who were turned away by other centers, including those with complex needs such as a multiorgan transplant. We have the highest lung transplant surgery survival rates in our region and survival rates that consistently exceed national averages.

Coordinated specialty services: We collaborate closely with other specialists to seamlessly provide all the services you need.

Shorter wait times: Our physicians have expertise that allow us to accept donor organs that other programs might not be able to use. This means that patients benefit from shorter wait times and a lower waiting-list mortality rate than the national average.

Our areas of care

We offer specialized lung transplant surgeries not typically found elsewhere. Thanks to the expertise of our physicians, we can perform:

Single and double lung transplants: Whether you need one or both lungs transplanted, we provide the full spectrum of care. If you also have cardiac problems, we can add on procedures such as valve replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting during your lung transplant.

Heart-lung transplant: If you also need a heart transplant, we can perform a transplant on both your heart and lungs at the same time. Through close collaboration with our Heart Transplant Program, we offer combined surgeries, so you only need one operation.

Conditions we treat

You may be a candidate for lung transplant surgery if you have advanced lung disease, such as:

Pulmonary fibrosis: Scarring in the lungs that leads to lung stiffness and causes breathing problems.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): An inflammatory lung disease that can block airflow and lead to breathing difficulties.

Cystic fibrosis: An inherited disease that causes mucus buildup in the lungs, pancreas and other organs.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH): A type of elevated blood pressure in which the blood vessels in your lungs narrow, thicken or stiffen.

Treatments we offer

Our physicians routinely care for patients who would be turned down by other programs. We have the specialization and resources to care for all types of patients with complex disease, including those who:

Are on the scleroderma spectrum: Scleroderma is a chronic disease that causes thickening of your connective tissues. We were among the first programs to offer lung transplants to patients with this condition.

Need a lung transplant and a cardiac procedure: At some centers, cardiac defects make patients ineligible for lung transplant. Our surgeons can perform heart surgery and lung transplant in one operation. For example, we may perform cardiac bypass surgery and lung transplantation at the same time.

Require bridge to transplant: “Bridge to transplant” refers to treatments that keep patients stable until they can receive a transplant. For example, we have the expertise to offer transplants to patients who are on mechanical ventilators or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and those who have respiratory failure or right-sided heart failure.

Meet our team

Our lung transplant team includes physicians who are experts in clinical care and research. We paved the way for many advanced lung transplant treatments. Our specialists conduct research and clinical trials so that we can offer you the most promising therapies and treatment options.