Temple’s Lung Transplant Program is one of the nation’s most active, experienced and innovative. Consider these notable facts about the program:
- Temple has the highest volume lung transplant program in the country for the past 8 years (2023 Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients data).
- Patients turned down for transplant at other hospitals may be eligible at Temple, including people with higher age, a high BMI or those with other medical issues.
- Temple is one of only 3 hospitals in Pennsylvania with an adult lung transplant program.
- Temple's transplant team includes renowned pulmonologists Drs. Gerard Criner and Francis Cordova, and transplant surgeon Yoshiya Toyoda.
Because of Temple’s vast experience with lung transplantation, the hospital regularly takes on some of the most challenging cases, including patients who needed pre-transplant ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) or who needed combined cardiac surgery and lung transplant, and those who need to be evaluated and listed for lung transplant very quickly.
Temple has special expertise in using ECMO as a bridge to lung transplant. ECMO is for patients with severe lung problems for whom mechanical ventilation provides insufficient support. Temple’s ECMO bridge can allow patients in danger of imminent death the time to be evaluated to receive a potentially life-saving transplant.
