# Cystic fibrosis, heart-lung transplant question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cystic-fibrosis-heart-lung-transplant-question/363660>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 8, 2006, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cystic-fibrosis-heart-lung-transplant-question/363660 "2006-07-08T20:14:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cystic-fibrosis-heart-lung-transplant-question/363660/1 "2006-07-08T20:14:55Z")

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Weird topic, I know.

I’m learning medical transcription. One of the cases involves a 7-year-old with cystic fibrosis who is undergoing a heart and lung transplant.

The doctor specifically says that her heart appears to be fine, with only mild pulmonary hypertension.

But they replace it, along with the lungs which are in bad shape.

Why?

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**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cystic-fibrosis-heart-lung-transplant-question/363660/2 "2006-07-08T20:28:47Z")

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It’s easier to transplant the heart and lungs in one go than to transplant just the lungs and leave the heart behind. Fewer blood vessels to cut and reconnect. Survival rates are actually higher for the combined transplant.

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**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cystic-fibrosis-heart-lung-transplant-question/363660/3 "2006-07-08T20:31:10Z")

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Great answer. Thanks.

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**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cystic-fibrosis-heart-lung-transplant-question/363660/4 "2006-07-08T20:32:53Z")

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Just looked up the figures - five years after a transplant, the survival rate for lung transplant patients is 45% and for heart/lung transplant patients it’s 49%.

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**Author:** ![easy\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb8c5e/32.png) [@easy\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/easy_e)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cystic-fibrosis-heart-lung-transplant-question/363660/5 "2006-07-08T22:12:20Z")

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I don’t know if they’ll do it in this particular case, but they usually then try to implant the heart removed from the heart-lung recipeint into a patient needing a heart transplant.