Lung Clearance Index and Lung Allograft Dysfunction

Lung Clearance Index for the Early Detection and Monitoring of Lung Allograft Dysfunction After Adult Lung Transplantation

The aim of this project is to evaluate the ability of the lung clearance index (LCI) to detect early chronic lung allograft failure (CLAD) in adult lung transplant recipients over a period of 3 years.

This single center study consists of three parts:

1. Characterisation of the Zurich lung transplant cohort regarding CLAD status and pulmonary function impairment (cross-sectional, study part I)
2. Evaluation of test-retest reliability of LCI in 20 clinically stable lung transplant recipients during three consecutive study visits (study part II)
3. Prospective cohort study to test the ability of LCI to detect early CLAD in patients without prior CLAD (study part III)

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male and female lung transplant recipients
• Written informed consent by the participant after information about the research project

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any contraindication to perform pulmonary function tests (e.g., persistent pneumothorax)
• Acute airway infection
• Chronic infection due to Burkholderia spp and nontuberculosis mykobacteria NTM