Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion Perfusate Predict the Clinical Outcome of Lung Transplant Recipients

Lung transplantation is lifesaving for patients with end-stage lung diseases. However, a scarcity of donor lungs suitable for transplantation limits the number of procedures that can be performed. Furthermore, major obstacles to successful lung transplantation still exist; primary graft dysfunction (PGD), the leading cause of early morbidity and mortality post-lung transplant, develops in ∼15–30% of recipients [1]. Normothermic ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) maintains donor lungs in a physiological state through perfusion and ventilation, so that the lungs can be assessed, treated and accepted for transplantation, thereby increasing the donor pool and alleviating the severe shortage of viable donor lungs [2]. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are detectable in donor ex vivo lung perfusate, and higher levels of NETs in perfusate are associated with worse recipient outcomes after transplant http://ow.ly/r4nM30nvZsK