The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Jul 2007
Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialCreation of a model comparing 6-minute walk test to metabolic equivalent in evaluating treatment effects in pulmonary arterial hypertension.
The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) is the current standard to assess exercise capacity in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We compared the Naughton-Balke treadmill test reported in exercise metabolic equivalents (METs) with the 6MWT to evaluate whether MET could be a useful tool to assess exercise capacity. ⋯ MET appears to be a reliable measure of exercise capacity in PAH, and correlates with 6MWT. MET can be used in clinical assessment and is helpful in demonstrating improvements in exercise capacity in less sick patients.
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Jul 2007
Plasma receptor for advanced glycation end-products predicts duration of ICU stay and mechanical ventilation in patients after lung transplantation.
Primary graft dysfunction, formerly termed reperfusion pulmonary edema, is the leading cause of short-term complications after lung transplantation. New evidence shows that alveolar type I epithelial cells play an active role in alveolar fluid transport and are therefore presumed to be critical in the absorption of pulmonary edema. We tested the potential relevance of a novel marker of alveolar type I cell injury, the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE), to short-term outcomes of lung transplantation. ⋯ Higher levels of plasma RAGE measured shortly after reperfusion predicted poor short-term outcomes from lung transplantation. Elevated plasma RAGE levels may have both pathogenetic and prognostic value in patients after lung transplantation.
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Jul 2007
Long-term improvement in pulmonary function after living donor lobar lung transplantation.
As an alternative to cadaveric transplantation, living donor lobar lung transplantation (LDLLT) has been applied in critical patients with end-stage pulmonary disease because of the mismatch between the supply and demand of lungs for transplantation. However, it is unclear whether two pulmonary lobes can provide adequate long-term pulmonary function and satisfactory clinical outcome in recipients. ⋯ Although LDLLT may be associated with the limitation of size mismatch, it holds promise for providing well-functioning pulmonary lobar grafts to critically ill patients with poor life expectancy.