LUNG
The UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute ( CTI ) is one of fewer than 65 lung transplant centers in the United States , and ours is among the busiest , having performed 784 lung and heart / lung transplants since we did our first over 25 years ago . The UAB Lung Transplant Program provides lifesaving care for serious lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis , emphysema , chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ), interstitial lung disease , idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis ( IPF ), pulmonary hypertension , and acute lung injury . The program continues to make significant strides in improving access for patients while building bridges between our pulmonary expertise and referring physicians .
PATIENT STORY :
DETERMINATION AND INSPIRATION LED TO THE GIFT OF NEW LUNGS
ORGANS – LUNG
Our role as a leading lung transplant center has been enhanced by our ECMO program , which dates back over 20 years and is the only one in Alabama . It ’ s also among the nation ’ s most active , supporting about 500 pulmonary patients in the past five years alone . In addition to advanced research initiatives focused on therapies to support failing organs , the UAB ECMO service serves patients as both a bridge to recovery and a bridge to transplant . It participates with the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization ( ELSO ) and in 2021 received the Gold Level Award for Excellence , which recognizes ECMO programs worldwide that distinguish themselves by establishing processes , procedures , and systems to promote excellence and exceptional care .
ANNUAL LUNG * TRANSPLANT VOLUMES , 2017-2021
Steve Harrison
On their wedding day 34 years ago , when Steve and Lynne Harrison vowed to be at each other ’ s side in sickness and in health , neither could have imagined the journey ahead .
Steve , 55 , says he was “ healthy as a horse ” and working as a construction foreman when he contracted the Delta variant of COVID-19 in September 2021 . Unvaccinated , Steve ’ s initial flu-like symptoms quickly snowballed , prompting him to leave his home in Dayton , Tenn ., and spend almost two months in a nearby hospital ’ s intensive care unit .
His doctor believed that going on a ventilator was the best course of action , but Steve resisted – even though the doctor told Lynne that , without one , Steve ’ s chance of survival was only 30 %. “ It was a fight ,”
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