Dogs Surviving with a Reimplanted Lung

Abstract

PREVIOUS REPORTS have shown that dogs can survive after reimplantation of one lung, but usually die within a few days when the contralateral normal lung is removed.^1-5In these reports, an adequate evaluation of the changes in physiology prior to death was not presented. The experiments performed in our laboratory consist of autologous lung reimplantations, accurate postoperative evaluations of pulmonary ventilation and pulmonary artery pressures, and a test of survival on the reimplanted lung alone. Homologous lung transplantations were not done because tissue rejection and foreign body reactions make long-term studies impossible. The basic surgical procedure in lung reimplantation is primarily concerned with the division and reconstitution of the hilar structures. The bronchial vessels, lymphatic ducts, and nerves in the hilus are divided and not repaired because of their small size. The operation usually has been performed on the left lung because configuration of the left atrium is