How to Find and Compare Lung Transplant Centers

A question that often comes up on social media is "Where can I find information on lung transplant centers?.

The best site to find and compare transplant programs in the United States is the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR).

To find and compare transplant programs, go here and enter your search criteria.  Use the drop-down and select "Lung" and enter your zip code.  The next page will list the closest centers to your zip. It will also offer more search options so you can search by state or increase the distance from the zip code.

When you find a center you are interest in, you can look at either the basic summery data or the more in-depth reports.  The full reports do get really detailed and may take a bit to decipher.

For UT Southwestern -

Summery data:

The detailed report explains those numbers:

The detailed report for UT Southwestern is 30 pages of all kinds of interesting data, if you're into stuff like that.

For me, the important thing to look at when reading these reports is the average time on the Transplant List, mortality rate while on the list, post transplant mortality rates at one month and one year, and number of transplants performed in a year. The report compares the individual center with the national average.

It was also important to me that UT Southwestern had ECMO available in the event that I needed it.

Now I know data and charts aren't everything, but they will give some idea on the technical quality of a center.  You'll have to actually meet with the team to learn if you are a good fit.  My Team is a significant part of my extended family.