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Lung Transplant Program

The Mayo Clinic experience and patient stories

Our patients tell us that the quality of their interactions, our attention to detail and the efficiency of their visits mean health care like they've never experienced. See the stories of Mayo Clinic transplant patients.

  1. Two New Lungs Give One Dad a Chance to Enjoy Fatherhood to its Fullest

    Over time, cystic fibrosis robbed Nicholas Hemmerle of his ability to enjoy active time with his daughter. But after a double lung transplant, he's breathing easier and ready to have fun again.? The last thing Nicholas Hemmerle remembers before going into surgery at Mayo Clinic for a double lung transplant is a nurse putting a [...]

  2. Defying Odds to Make it Through to a Heart-Lung Transplant

    Aryn Clark needed a heart-lung transplant, but the wait was almost sure to be a long one. Advanced technology that did the work of her heart and lungs during that wait kept her healthy enough to be ready once transplant organs became available. Aryn Clark was born with two holes in her heart, a condition [...]

  3. A New Lung, a Wedding Ring and a Second Chance at Life

    For Jim Jones, the joy of his wedding day was multiplied by a much-anticipated phone call from Mayo Clinic. That same day, a lung had become available for a transplant, and the possibility of a healthy life ahead was within Jim's reach. Wedding days are often life-changing. But for Angi and Jim Jones, the day [...]

  4. The Sky's the Limit for College Freshman After Double-Lung Transplant

    Thanks to a double-lung transplant at Mayo Clinic, Logan McCaskill is breathing easier and on her way to a healthier future. University of Central Florida freshman biology major Logan McCaskill has her sights set on a career with NASA. The Orlando native hopes to work for the agency researching how to grow plants in space. [...]

  5. Patience and Persistence Propel Patient Through Double-Lung Transplant

    Steve Shank knows what it's like to face an uphill climb. Despite being legally blind and affected by albinism, he has been an avid bicyclist for years, competing in 100-mile rides on the rolling hills of Iowa. The arduous contests challenged Steve physically and mentally, giving the Iowa City native an ability to endure difficult [...]

  6. Mayo Clinic’s First Lung Transplant Recipient in Florida Makes Most of Every Moment for 15 Years and Counting

    When Richard Oppelt arrived at Mayo Clinic's Rochester campus in early 2001, his lung capacity was minimal – only 21 percent of what it should have been. A sandblaster for 24 years, Richard, from Melbourne, Florida, had developed silicosis, a lung disease caused by breathing in silica dust, which can damage the lining of the [...]

  7. Nicole?s Journey From Nurse to Transplant Patient and Back

    When Nicole Jahns was just five months old, her parents ? and her doctors ? knew something was wrong. She wasn't gaining weight like a five-month-old should, and she wasn't, as her doctors put it, "thriving." They soon discovered why. Nicole had cystic fibrosis, an inherited disorder that affects the cells that produce mucus, sweat [...]
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Feb. 14, 2018
References
  1. Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. http://www.srtr.org/default.aspx. Accessed July 14, 2016.
  2. U.S. News Best Hospitals 2015-16. U.S. News & World Report. http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings. Accessed Feb. 22, 2016.
  3. Riggin EA. Allscripts EPSi. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 22, 2016.
  4. Erasmus DB (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla. August 3, 2016.
  5. AskMayoExpert. Lung transplantation. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2015.
  6. Barbara Woodward Lips Patient Education Center. About your lung transplant. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2006.
  7. Hachem RR. Lung transplantation: General guidelines for recipient selection. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed July 15, 2016.
  8. Barbara Woodward Lips Patient Education Center. Planning for your transplant: A financial guide. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2009.
  9. Sherman W, et al. Lung transplantation and coronary artery disease. The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 2011;92:303.
  10. What is coronary angiography? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/ca/. Accessed July 15, 2016.
  11. What is a tracheostomy? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/trach/. Accessed July 15, 2016.
  12. What is a lung transplant? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/lungtxp/. Accessed July 15, 2016.
  13. Wilson ME, et al. Pretransplant frailty is associated with decreased survival after lung transplantation. The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation. 2016;35:173.
  14. Chandrashekaran S, et al. Weight loss prior to lung transplantation is associated with improved survival. The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation. 2015;34:651.
  15. Aho JM, et al. Closure of a recurrent bronchopleural fistula using a matrix seeded with patient-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Stem Cells Translational Medicine. 2016;5:1. http://www.stemcellstm.com. Accessed July l5, 2016.
  16. Single-lung transplant patient discharged. Mayovox. August 1990;37:9.
  17. Halum SL. A multi-institutional analysis of tracheotomy complications. Laryngoscope. 2012;122:38.

Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Ariz., have been recognized among the top Pulmonology hospitals in the nation for 2017-2018 by U.S. News & World Report.

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Lung Transplant Program

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