Pilot Study Exploring Lung Allograft Surfactant Protein A (SP‐A) Expression in Association With Lung Transplant Outcome

Primary graft failure and chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) limit lung transplant long–term outcomes. Various lung diseases have been correlated with surfactant protein (SP) expression and polymorphisms. We sought to investigate the role of SP expression in lung allografts prior to implantation, in relation to posttransplant outcomes. The expression of SP‐(A, B, C, D) mRNA was assayed in 42 allografts. Posttransplant assessments include pulmonary function tests, bronchoscopy, broncho‐alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and biopsies to determine allograft rejection. BALF was assayed for SP‐A, SP‐D in addition to cytokines IL‐8, IL‐12 and IL‐2. The diagnosis of CLAD was evaluated 6 months after transplantation. Lung allografts with low SP‐A mRNA expression prior to implantation reduced survival (Log‐rank p