Abstract
PURPOSE: Despite mandatory tobacco abstinence following lung transplantation (LTX), some recipients resume smoking cigarettes. The effect of smoking on allograft function, exercise performance, and symptomatology is unknown.
METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of LTX recipients who received allografts over an 8-year interval and who were subjected to sequential posttransplant pulmonary function testing (PFT), 6-minute walk (6MW) testing, and assessments of exertional dyspnea (Borg score). Using post-LTX PFT results, recipients were determined to have either bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), a manifestation of chronic allograft rejection, or normal pulmonary function (non-BOS). With respect to post-LTX pulmonary function, 6MW distances, and Borg scores, comparisons were made between these recipient groups and those who resumed smoking.
RESULTS: Of 34 LTX recipients identified, 13 maintained normal lung function (non-BOS), while 16 demonstrated a decline in their PFT values consistent with BOS. Five recipients began smoking at median postoperative day 365 and smoked 1 pack per day for a mean of 485.6 days. Smokers developed a deterioration of their PFT values that was similar to those with BOS (P = .47) and tended to be worse than those in the non-BOS group (P = .09). All smokers experienced a decline in 6MW distances similar to those with BOS and non-BOS but reported less exertional dyspnea (lower Borg scores) than those with BOS.
CONCLUSION: Recipients of LTX who resume cigarette smoking demonstrate a decline in pulmonary function similar to those afflicted with chronic allograft rejection but do not experience a decrement in their functional performance or increased dyspnea.