Table 1. Characteristics of Lung Transplant Recipients.
| Variable | Patients, No. (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| COVID-19 (n = 30) | Non–COVID-19 (n = 72) | |
| Demographics | ||
| Age, y | ||
| Median (IQR) | 53 (46-59) | 62 (52-69) |
| ≤40 | 5 (16.7) | 9 (12.5) |
| 41-55 | 14 (46.7) | 11 (15.3) |
| 56-65 | 9 (30) | 26 (36.1) |
| >65 | 2 (6.7) | 25 (34.7) |
| Sex | ||
| Women | 13 (43.3) | 32 (44.4) |
| Men | 17 (56.7) | 40 (55.6) |
| Race and ethnicity | ||
| Asian | 3 (10) | 4 (5.6) |
| Hispanic | 11 (36.7) | 7 (9.7) |
| Non-Hispanic | ||
| Black | 3 (10) | 7 (9.7) |
| White | 11 (36.7) | 46 (63.9) |
| Othera | 2 (6.7) | 8 (11.1) |
| Body mass index, median (IQR)b | 26.7 (24.4-28.9) | 27 (22.5-29.4) |
| Medical history | ||
| History of smoking | 3 (10) | 31 (43.1) |
| Hypertension | 15 (50) | 37 (51.4) |
| Diabetes | 9 (30) | 19 (26.4) |
| Chronic kidney diseasec | 0 | 4 (5.6) |
| Etiology of chronic lung disease | ||
| Interstitial lung disease | 0 | 35 (48.6) |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 0 | 23 (31.9) |
| Pulmonary hypertension | 0 | 8 (11.1) |
| Othersd | 0 | 4 (5.5) |
| Cystic fibrosis | 0 | 2 (2.8) |
| Laboratory, median (IQR) | ||
| Hemoglobin, g/dL | 8.9 (7.3-10.2) | 12.2 (10.2-14) |
| White blood cell count, 1000/μL | 9.6 (7.2-11.7) | 9.1 (7.7-11.9) |
| Platelets, 1000/μL | 223 (186-277.8) | 236.5 (180-291) |
| Sodium, mEq/L | 140 (139-145.5) | 139.5 (138-141) |
| Blood urea nitrogen, mg/dL | 16 (14-29) | 13.5 (11.8-16) |
| Creatinine, mg/dL | 0.6 (0.4-0.8) | 0.7 (0.6-0.9) |
| Alanine aminotransferase, U/L | 21.5 (12.5-29.3) | 16.5 (11-24.3) |
| Aspartate aminotransferase, U/L | 21.5 (16.3-30) | 24.5 (18-33.8) |
| Albumin, g/dL | 3.7 (3.2-4) | 3.9 (3.5-4.3) |
| Total bilirubin, mg/dL | 0.5 (0.4-0.8) | 0.6 (0.4-1) |
| International normalized ratio | 1.1 (1-1.2) | 1.1 (1-1.1) |
| Arterial blood gas from the day of transplant | ||
| pH, median (IQR) | 7.41 (7.34-7.45) | 7.37 (7.34-7.41) |
| Paco2, median (IQR), mm Hg | 50.5 (41-58) | 49 (42-53.5) |
| Pao2, median (IQR), mm Hg | 173 (126.3-230.5) | 337 (194.5-390) |
| Panel-reactive antibodiese | 16 (53.3) | 29 (40.3) |
| Donor-specific antibodiesf | 7 (23.3) | 4 (5.6) |
| Pretransplant status | ||
| Karnofsky Performance Status, median (IQR)g | 30 (20-40) | 50 (40-60) |
| Respiratory support | ||
| Venovenous ECMO | 17 (56.7) | 1 (1.4) |
| Nasal cannula oxygen | 7 (23.3) | 65 (90.3) |
| Invasive mechanical ventilation | 4 (13.3) | 2 (2.8) |
| High-flow nasal cannula oxygen | 2 (6.7) | 3 (4.2) |
| Thrombotic events while receiving ECMO | ||
| Deep vein thrombosis | 6/17 (35.2) | 0/1 |
| Pulmonary embolism | 0/17 | 0/1 |
| Circuit thrombosis | 0/17 | 0/1 |
| Lung allocation score, median (IQR)h | 85.8 (69.4-87.5) | 46.7 (38.9-54.3) |
| Time on waitlist, median (IQR), d | 11.5 (5.0-26) | 15 (6.0-60) |
| COVID-19 vaccination prior to transplant | 0 | 1 (3.3) |
| Donor information | ||
| Age, median (IQR), y | 29 (21-39) | 31 (23.3-39.5) |
| Sex | ||
| Female | 9 (30) | 22 (30.6) |
| Male | 21 (70) | 50 (69.4) |
| Cause of donor death | ||
| Head trauma | 15 (50) | 29 (40.3) |
| Drug overdose | 12 (40) | 27 (37.5) |
| Other | 3 (10) | 16 (22.2) |
Abbreviation: ECMO, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
SI conversion factors: To convert alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase to μkat/L, multiply by 0.0167; bilirubin to μmol/L, multiply by 17.104; blood urea nitrogen to mmol/L, multiply by 0.357; and creatinine to μmol/L, multiply by 88.4.
Other included American Indian, Middle Eastern, and unknown.
Body mass index is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.
Chronic kidney disease is defined using estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 60 mL/min.
Includes α1-antitrypsin deficiency, primary ciliary dyskinesia, and mucinous adenocarcinoma.
Panel-reactive antibodies are a group of antibodies in a recipient test serum that are reactive against known specific antigens in a panel of test cells or purified HLA antigens from cells.
Donor-specific antibodies are antibodies specific to the donor’s HLA typing and checked before lung transplant.
Karnofsky Performance Status is used to determine functional status based on patient’s ability to carry out daily activities with or without assistance. The Karnofsky Performance Status score ranges from 0 to 100, with scores greater than 80 indicating normal; 50 to 70, unable to work and needs varying amounts of assistance; and less than 40, needs institutional or hospital care.
Lung allocation score is calculated using age, body mass index, etiology of lung failure, functional status, assisted ventilation, oxygen status, pulmonary artery systolic pressure, mean pulmonary artery pressure, cardiac index, 6-minute walk distance, total bilirubin level, and serum creatinine level. This score has a range from 0 to 100. Higher lung allocation scores indicate the patient is severely ill. The score calculator can be found at https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/allocation-calculators/las-calculator/.