The British Transplantation Society states that previous chest surgery in a donor constitutes a contraindication to lung retrieval. In this report, we describe a case of successful bilateral lung harvest from a donor who had previously undergone aortic valve replacement. This case highlights that isolated valve surgery can be an addition to the extended donor criteria for lung retrieval and therefore increase the number of organs available for transplantation.
BhoradeSMVigneswaranWMcCabeMAGarrityER. Liberalization of donor criteria may expand the donor pool without adverse consequence in lung transplantation. J Heart Lung Transplant2000; 19: 1199–1204.
