Psychological functioning of pediatric lung transplant candidates/recipients: a review of the literature

Abstract

Although lung transplants are performed in children, experience with the pediatric population remains limited. There is growing interest in studying the psychological functioning and quality of life in these patients following transplant. There is a body of literature about quality of life in adult lung transplant recipients, but little is known about how pediatric patients and their families function psychologically after transplant. The current article summarizes the pediatric literature with respect to psychological outcomes for transplant recipients and their parents and points to areas where additional research is needed.