People who are being considered for a lung transplant or a heart and lung transplant go through a number of tests. These tests range from simple, common ones like blood tests to sophisticated imaging techniques. The purpose of these tests is to:
- Give the transplant team detailed information about the patient's condition
- Make sure the patient doesn't have cancer or other conditions that might make a lung transplant unsuccessful
- Collect information needed to get the best match between the person receiving new organs and the donor
Here are highlights of the various types of tests a person seeking a lung transplant may need to have.
- Laboratory tests, such as blood and urine tests
- Diagnostic imaging tests, which create images of the inside of the lungs and the heart
- Pulmonary function tests, which measure how well the lungs are working
- Blood and tissue typing and matching, which are tests to match the blood and tissue types organ donors and recipients.