Pediatric Heart-Lung Transplantation: Technique and Special Considerations

Heart-lung transplantation has historically been used as a definitive treatment for children with end-stage cardiopulmonary failure, although the number performed has steadily decreased over time. In this review, we discuss current indications, preoperative risk factors, outcomes, and heart-lung transplantation in unique patient subsets, including infants, children with single-ventricle physiology, tetralogy of Fallot/major aortopulmonary collateral arteries, and prior Potts shunt palliation. We also describe the different surgical techniques utilized in pediatric heart-lung transplantation.