Improvement in quality of life after lung transplantation: a preliminary study. The University of Washington Medical Center Lung Transplant Study Group

Abstract

Background: Lung transplantation is an expensive therapeutic option for a number of endstage conditions. Improving health-related quality of life is an important objective of transplantation.

Methods: We report quality of life measurements in 21 waiting list patients and 23 patients after transplantation with seven different pulmonary conditions using two standardized instruments: the Sickness Impact Profile and the standard gamble.

Results and conclusions: This cross-sectional study indicates the following: (1) overall quality of life improves significantly after transplantation; (2) although most dimensions of functional disability improve after transplantation, some aspects may suffer; (3) quality of life gains after transplantation may not be equal for all pretransplantation conditions.