Detecting Acute Lung Rejection and Infection Following Heart-Lung Transplantation: PATIENTS AND METHODS
Spirometer
The pocket-sized spirometer (Micro-medical Ltd, Rochester, Kent, England) (Fig 1), the prototype of which has been fully described in a previous report, measures the FEV, and FVC by means of a turbine volume transducer. The turbine drives a low- inertia vane that, during forced expiration, reflects infrared light from an enclosed source onto a sensor to generate electrical pulses. These are then proportionately computed into FEV, and FVC. The accuracy of the spirometer is within 2 percent.






The benefits of lung transplantation are compromised by two common acute complications: acute lung rejection, and opportunistic infection. The lungs are a common site for these disorders. Chronic lung rejection appears to cause obliterative bronchiolitis, which has been reported to cause disability and death in up to 50 percent of long-term heart-lung transplant (HLT) recipients.


