Long-term survival and clinical outcomes of delayed chest closure following lung transplantation

Delayed chest closure (DCC) is a widely accepted procedure in the context of lung transplantation (LTx); yet there are few reports detailing its long-term survival and clinical outcomes. We reviewed the medical records of recipients who underwent deceased-donor lung transplantation (LTx) at Tohoku University Hospital. Long-term survival, including overall survival, freedom from chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD), and CLAD-free survival and the clinical outcomes of graft function and physical performance and constitution were reviewed in recipients with DCC. Between 2009 and 2022, 116 patients underwent LTx, 33 of whom (28.4