A condition called ischemic reperfusion injury (IRI) occurs in all lung transplants. The amount of reperfusion injury varies from person to person. IRI occurs when the blood supply to tissue (in this case, transplanted lung(s)) is decreased and then is restored. IRI can cause a decrease in function in a newly transplanted lung. When this occurs, or when people have pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in your lungs), doctors use Nitric Oxide to improve the pressure and blood supply to the transplanted lung. Nitric Oxide (NO) is given by inhalation while patients are on a ventilator (breathing machine). Because NO must be given by a ventilator and because patients on ventilators must be in an intensive care unit, the cost of treating people with NO is very high. NO can also cause rebound pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs that reoccurs) when it is stopped. Because of these reasons, doctors are looking for other treatments for IRI and pulmonary hypertension. A drug called Natrecor has been shown to reduce pulmonary pressures in heart transplant patients. Doctors believe it may be helpful to lung transplant patients as well.
