Right and left ventricular performance after single and double lung transplantation. The Toronto Lung Transplant Group.

Abstract

Twelve single lung and nine double lung transplant recipients were studied before transplantation and at 3 months and 1 year after transplantation with serial right and left ventricular radionuclide angiograms. The resting right ventricular ejection fraction increased in the double lung recipients from 31% +/- 5% before transplantation to 43% +/- 11% at 3 months after transplantation (p less than 0.05) and then remained stable to 1 year. The single lung recipients also demonstrated a significant rise in ejection fraction from 25% +/- 11% before transplantation to 36% +/- 12% at 3 months after transplantation. Again, this remained stable to 1 year. The exercise right ventricular ejection fraction also showed a significant posttransplantation rise in the double lung recipients (p less than 0.005) that remained stable to 1 year. In the single lung recipients a trend was seen for a rise in the exercise right ventricular ejection fraction that did not reach statistical significance by 1 year after transplantation. Neither group had a significant change in rest or exercise left ventricular ejection fraction. The systemic blood pressure increased significantly by 1 year after transplantation in both groups. The heart rate increase with exercise at 3 months after transplantation was significantly greater in the single lung group (42 +/- 13 beats/min) than in the double lung group (14 +/- 13 beats/min) (p less than 0.005). These data indicate that a significant improvement in right ventricular function occurs after single and double lung transplantation.