Lung transplantation, case anecdotes Reconstruction for inadequate left atrial cuff on the donor side by aortic arch: a feasible case report

Abnormalities in pulmonary vasculature or technical issues during lung procurement can lead to an insufficient left atrial (LA) cuff in donors. However, surgeons frequently need to reconfigure these less-than-ideal lungs for transplantation. This case report introduces a novel technique for such reconstruction. The patient was a 35-year-old male diagnosed with pneumoconiosis for over a year. Due to progressive worsening dyspnoea leading to respiratory failure on multiple occasions, he was deemed a candidate for lung transplantation. While obtaining the donor’s lung, an inadvertent short cut of the LA cuff around the left inferior pulmonary vein orifice resulted in the residual vein retracting into the pulmonary hilum. To overcome this, we employed the aortic arch for reconstruction, enabling the successful completion of the lung transplantation. On post-transplantation day 2, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was no longer required. Mechanical ventilation ceased after 13 days, with the subsequent removal of a tracheostomy. The patient spent 35 days in the intensive care unit and 58 days in the hospital. Post-transplantation complications included primary graft dysfunction, acute kidney failure, pneumothorax in the transplanted lung, the clots in the inferior vena cava, and pneumonia. Remarkably, over a year of follow-up (19 months after lung transplantation), the patient reported no adverse events and had successfully returned to work. In this case, the aortic arch is an alternative for reconstructing an insufficient LA cuff.