An update of palliative care in lung transplantation with a focus on symptoms, quality of life and functional outcomes.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Palliative care (PC) in lung transplantation is increasingly acknowledged for its important role in addressing symptoms, enhancing functionality, and facilitating advance care planning for patients, families, and caregivers. The present review provides an update in PC management in lung transplantation.

Recent findings: Research confirms the effectiveness of PC for patients with advanced lung disease who are undergoing transplantation, showing improvements in symptoms and reduced healthcare utilization. Assessment tools and patient-reported outcome measures for PC are commonly used in lung transplant candidates, revealing discrepancies between symptom severity and objective measures such as exercise capacity. The use of opioids to manage dyspnea and cough in the pretransplant period is deemed safe and does not heighten risks posttransplantation. However, the integration of PC support in managing symptoms and chronic allograft dysfunction in the posttransplant period has not been as well described.

Summary: Palliative care support should be provided in the pretransplant and select peri-operative and posttransplant periods to help support patient quality of life, symptoms, communication and daily function.