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Age should be less of a factor in lung transplants

Respiratory Care Weekly, December 6, 2006

Healthcare professionals should reconsider age limit guidelines that dictate who does and doesn't qualify for a lung transplant, according to a report in the November Annals of Thoracic Surgery. While many patients older than 60 are turned away from transplant facilities, the report contends that the surgery is improving and that better overall healthcare improves a patient's chances of living longer.

"Age is not an independent exclusion criterion at our center," wrote Philip W. Smith, MD, surgery resident and research fellow at the University of Virginia Health System. "All patients undergo the same pre-transplant evaluation to determine their eligibility. Our study shows that lung transplantation can be performed with acceptable outcomes in patients aged 60 and older, if the person is otherwise an appropriate candidate."

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