Critical care considerations in the post-operative period for the lung transplant patient.

The post-operative management of a lung transplant recipient can be complex. Several factors including medical comorbidities, severity of illness at the time of transplant and intra-operative events can affect graft function and overall survival. During the immediate post-operative period, it becomes essential for early recognition of disease-specific sequelae as they can impact the patient's outcome and quality of life. This often necessitates a multidisciplinary team of pulmonologists, surgeons, medical sub-specialists as well as skilled nurses and respiratory therapists familiar with caring for these patients. Based on the experiences of a high-volume transplant center, this chapter will outline key considerations within each organ system in this specific patient population in the Intensive Care Unit.
Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: The author has completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://dx.doi.org/10.21037/jtd-21-1441). The series “Lung Transplantation: Past, Present, and Future” was commissioned by the editorial office without any funding or sponsorship. The author has no other conflicts of interest to declare.
(2021 Journal of Thoracic Disease. All rights reserved.)