THE TORONTO HOSPITAL'S
LUNG TRANSPLANT PROGRAM


(Toronto, March 27, 1996) In 1983, medical history was made at The Toronto Hospital (then Toronto General Hospital) when the world's first single lung transplant was performed on 58-year-old Tom Hall of Etobicoke, Ontario. That success was followed three years later with another first when 42-year-old Ann Harrison of Toronto became the world's first successful double lung transplant. Since that time, The Toronto Hospital's Lung Transplant Program has continued to expand and remains at the forefront of lung transplantation today. Other achievements for the program include:

· 1988 first successful double lung transplant in the world on a patient suffering from cystic fibrosis

· 1990 first multi organ transplant in Canada: a liver and lung into one recipient

Lung transplantation is considered a treatment of last resort for patients suffering from a number of pulmonary conditions. The most common of these are:

· emphysema (characterized by a damaged lung lining)
· pulmonary fibrosis (a condition which produces a build up of scar tissue in the lung)
· primary pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the arteries to the lungs which results in damage and impaired lung function)
· cystic fibrosis (a genetic, chronic infective lung disorder).

Statistics

Survival rate at one year: 85 per cent; at five years: 65 per cent

Average age of patients: cystic fibrosis patients 26, other population groups 48

Breakdown of patients: 102 females, 113 males

Number of patients waiting for lung transplants at TTH: 25

Number of Lung Transplants in 1995: 19

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