2016 UPMC Lung Transplant Conference: Lessons from more than 30 Years of Lung Transplantation at UPMC: An Interactive Symposium

Day 1 will consist of a porcine heart-lung procurement lab geared towards teaching and demonstrating the theory and technical aspects of procurement through both didactic and hands-on demonstrations of donor selection, procurement, and ex vivo lung perfusion. A structured educational curriculum will accompany the hands-on portion with real time feedback.

Day 2 of the course will consist of didactic sessions involving the evaluation of candidates, organ referral and donor selection. Adjunct therapies such as ex vivo lung perfusion and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) will also be explored. The agenda will also cover elements of post-transplant care including management of rejection, infection, and bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS). The roles of mid-level providers and administrative challenges for transplant centers will also be featured.

This course will be an excellent opportunity for a wide spectrum of healthcare professionals with an interest in transplantation to explore both medical and surgical aspects of the field and improve their skill set and knowledge of the entire heart/lung procurement process. In an effort to standardize the lung transplant process beyond our own trainees, we will be offering this course to residents and fellows from all programs, free of charge. In addition, the curriculum of the course is designed to also benefit transplant nurses, transplant coordinators, infectious disease specialists, advanced practice providers, and transplant administrators with talks specifically geared to their critical roles in successful transplant programs.