Lung Transplant Program

Programs and Services

Lung Transplant Program

The Lung Transplant Program at Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin offers exceptional, high-quality care with an emphasis on personalized attention and long-term survival. Our highly experienced, multidisciplinary team designs comprehensive treatment plans to meet each patient’s needs. We care for the whole patient and understand that the treatment you receive before and after your transplant plays a vital role in your long-term well-being.

We treat lung disease with a wide array of treatment options, including lung transplant. As an academic medical center, we offer the latest treatments and can help you consider all of the options open to you. We assess each patient to determine if a transplant might be necessary or if other courses of treatment are more suitable. Even if you’ve been told a lung transplant is your only option, we can offer an advanced opinion on whether you might benefit from other treatment approaches.

FAQ

See our FAQ for more informations about our program.

Multidisciplinary Approach
and Continuity of Care

The pulmonary and critical care physicians at Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin have broad experience in the evaluation and treatment of patients with advanced lung disease, and they remain involved after a patient’s transplant. In fact, more than a dozen pulmonary and critical care physicians are on our main campus. Many of our physicians have been with the program since its inception in 1991, offering solid experience and exceptional continuity of care. We are also committed to offering personalized care and tailoring treatment to meet each patient’s needs.

Evaluation for High-Risk Patients

Our specialized team treats and evaluates advanced lung disease. We know that not every patient will need a transplant, and some may not be eligible. We also understand that some patients who have been turned down somewhere else may still be eligible for transplant. In fact, we have successfully performed lung transplants on high-risk patients who had been turned down by other centers.

Each patient needs to be carefully evaluated and assessed before any treatment decisions can be made. We’re pleased to perform those assessments for patients with questions about their course of treatment. Because our program is part of an academic medical center, we are committed to offering a broad spectrum of options for treating advanced lung disease and to offering careful evaluation and comprehensive care.

At Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin, we perform single and double lung transplants, with double lung transplants accounting for most of our cases. In situations where a single lung transplant may be adequate, a double lung transplant may still be done because of the better survival rates generally found with double lung transplants.

Lung Volume Reduction

In addition to transplants, we perform the entire range of lung surgeries, including lung volume reduction. Originally developed as a bridge to lung transplantation, lung volume reduction has itself become a successful treatment for select patients with emphysema. This procedure removes certain damaged portions of the patient’s lung, helping the lung become more efficient. It can significantly improve the patient’s health and reduce feelings of breathlessness. For some patients, lung volume reduction surgery can be done instead of a lung transplant.

Survival Rates

Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin provide a quality lung transplant program with excellent potential for long-term survival. In fact, our one- and three-year survival rates are better than national averages. These excellent results are due to our program’s collaborative, multidisciplinary approach and our dedication to the best overall care for lung diseases.

Cystic Fibrosis

Adult cystic fibrosis patients do exceptionally well in our lung transplant program. Our five-year survival rates for adult CF patients significantly exceed the national average. In addition, Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin are accredited by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation as a care center that provides high-quality, specialized care and offers comprehensive diagnosis and treatment for people with CF. To learn more about cystic fibrosis, visit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Web site.

Pulmonary Hypertension

Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin are home to the only academic Pulmonary Hypertension Program in the state. Our exceptional, board-certified physicians and other team members are dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals with pulmonary hypertension.