Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2012 Nov;22(4):517-29.
doi: 10.1016/j.thorsurg.2012.08.001.

Psychosocial issues facing lung transplant candidates, recipients and family caregivers

Emily M Rosenberger  1 , Mary Amanda Dew, Andrea F DiMartini, Annette J DeVito Dabbs, Roger D Yusen
Affiliations
Review

Psychosocial issues facing lung transplant candidates, recipients and family caregivers

Emily M Rosenberger et al. Thorac Surg Clin. 2012 Nov.

Abstract

Although lung transplantation is an accepted treatment for many individuals with severe lung disease, transplant candidates and recipients experience a range of psychosocial stressors that begin at the initiation of the transplant evaluation and continue throughout patients' wait for donor lungs, their perioperative recovery, and their long-term adjustment to posttransplant life. Transplant programs should strive to incorporate evidence-based interventions that aim to improve physical functioning, psychological distress, global quality of life, and medical adherence as well as to integrate symptom management and palliative care strategies throughout the pre- and posttransplantation course.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Lung transplant timeline: examples of events and stressors that contribute to different phases of the transplantation experience as well as interventions that have demonstrated efficacy in reducing the impact of these stressors.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Side effects of immunosuppression. Dark-shaded bars represent the prevalence of each symptom; light-shaded bars represent the percentage of those experiencing each symptom who found it moderately-to-severely distressing. (Data from Kugler C, Geyer S, Gottlieb J, et al. Symptom experience after lung transplantation: impact on quality of life and adherence. Clin Transplant 2007;21:590–6.)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Yusen RD. Survival and quality of life of patients undergoing lung transplant. Clin Chest Med. 2011;32:253–64. - PubMed
    1. Dew MA, DiMartini AF, Kormos RL. Stress of organ transplantation. In: Fink G, editor. Encyclopedia of stress. 2nd. Oxford, UK: Academic Press (Elsevier); 2007. pp. 35–44.
    1. Barbour KA, Blumenthal JA, Palmer SM. Psychosocial issues in the assessment and management of patients undergoing lung transplantation. Chest. 2006;129:1367–74. - PubMed
    1. Olbrisch ME, Benedict SM, Ashe K, et al. Psychological assessment and care of organ transplant patients. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2002;70:771–83. - PubMed
    1. Ivarsson B, Ekmehag B, Sjoberg T. Recently accepted for the waiting list for heart or lung transplantation - patients' experiences of information and support. Clin Transplant. 2011;25:E664–71. - PubMed

Publication types