En-bloc lung transplantation: Rare but useful

Lung transplantation is an established therapy for patients with advanced lung disease. Dark and colleagues1 first described en-bloc lung transplantation (EBLT) in a canine model in 1986, shortly thereafter in primates, and ultimately Patterson and colleagues2 performed the first successful human EBLT in 1988 in a 42-year-old female patient with emphysema. Although now replaced by sequential double-lung transplantation as the result of concerns of tracheal dehiscence secondary to ischemia, EBLT is a viable option for patients with proximal airway disease or when there is otherwise an inability to perform direct bronchial anastomosis.