Perioperative treatment of a man receiving a left-lung transplant combined with coronary revascularization without use of extracorporeal circulation: with a brief review of pathophysiology and the literature

Patients with significant coronary artery disease were once traditionally rejected as candidates for lung transplants because of higher risk of morbidity and mortality. We report the case of a man who received a left lung transplant and coronary revascularization without extracorporeal circulation in a combined surgical procedure after being diagnosed with significant coronary disease during the preoperative study for acceptance as a candidate for lung transplantation. We review the history of such combination procedures, which are changing clinicians' attitudes as to appropriate therapeutic approaches to take for complex patients. We also discuss the possible advantages of performing surgery without extracorporeal circulation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a combined procedure that took place in a Spanish hospital.