The Impact of Kidney Transplantation on Survival Outcomes for Lung Transplantation

This retrospective study analyzed 35,038 U.S. lung transplant recipients, of which 526 also received kidney transplants for renal replacement or chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 3b-5. The findings demonstrates that sequential lung–kidney transplantation yielded superior long-term survival compared to simultaneous procedures, particularly in CKD patients. While simultaneous transplants were associated with reduced short-term mortality compared to lung-only transplantation. Overall, kidney transplantation decreased the mortality risk by 40 percent. These results indicate that sequential transplantation enables better postoperative risk management. The 2023 OPTN “safety-net” policy, which prioritizes kidneys for recent lung recipients, is supported by these findings as a means to improve survival in thoracic patients with renal dysfunction.