Lung transplant FAQs

A lung transplant is a treatment option for carefully selected patients with end-stage respiratory failure who have failed to respond to other medical treatments.

There are many different causes of lung disease that might lead to needing a lung transplant. Common causes include: idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulmonary hypertension.

Life expectancy for patients with lung disease is very variable depending on age and other medical issues. Please discuss this with the team caring for you.

Survival rates vary from patient to patient.

On average, 83 patients out of 100 are alive one year after a lung transplant.

On average, 55 out of 100 patients are alive five years after a lung transplant.

Data from Annual Report on Cardiothoracic Organ Transplantation 2021/22, NHS Blood and Transplant, published September 2022 (PDF, 2.6MB)

Some patients have a transplanted lung for more than 20 years.

All decisions on transplantation are made on a case-by-case basis. If you have concerns that you might be too old for a lung transplant, please discuss this with your lung care team.

The average wait for a lung transplant in the UK is 18 months.

Find out more about waiting times

You can expect to be at the transplant centre for 14-21 days after lung transplant surgery.

Learn about recovering from a lung transplant

Everyone recovers at a different rate after a lung transplant. Your transplanted lung should start working within a few hours but you will need time to recover and adjust. After the first 3-6 months, the risk of transplant rejection is lower, and your immunosuppressant medicines will reduce. You should have more energy and be able to start doing more.

Learn about living with a lung transplant

The average risk of dying during the first few months after a lung transplant is between 10 to 15 patients in every 100. However, this varies widely on a patient-by-patient basis. This may seem high, but it is still lower than the risk posed by your underlying lung disease.

Learn about the risks of a lung transplant

This is a very rare complication of a lung transplant

Yes, this is possible, however very few retransplants are performed in the UK.

Yes, this is possible. Your general health will be taken into account. Please consider recording your wishes on organ donation in the national register.

Register to donate

There were 106 lung transplants performed in 2021/2022 in the UK.

Data from Annual Report on Cardiothoracic Organ Transplantation 2021/22, NHS Blood and Transplant Data from NHS Blood and Transplant, published September 2022 (PDF, 2.6MB)

In the UK, around 256* people are in need of a lung or lung-heart transplant.

*Data as of 31 March 2022. Taken from Annual Report on Cardiothoracic Organ Transplantation 2021/22, NHS Blood and Transplant, published September 2022 (PDF, 2.6MB)

Lung transplant surgery takes between 6-8 hours.

Learn more about lung transplant surgery