A novel web-based tool for lung transplant patients undergoing extracorporeal photopheresis

Background: Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) is considered an emerging rescue therapy for patients with chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD). The aim of the study was to set up a web-based data collection tool for lung transplant patients with CLAD undergoing ECP. Methods: The web-based tool was developed using Oracle MySQL and coded in HyperText Markup Language, JavaScript and Cascading Style Sheets and was set up with pre- and post-transplant data of possible interest in CLAD. Results: The software consists of 7 major sections. The validation cohort consisted of 25 lung transplant patients (13 men and 12 women, median age at transplant 51 years). A significant improvement in the rate of decline of forced expiratory volumes in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV1/FVC after introduction of ECP was observed. Forty-four percent of patients showed a