1345 - Weakness After Lung Transplant: A Retrospective Chart Review

The primary aim is to identify prevalence of focal and global weakness after lung transplantation. The secondary aim is to identify risk factors for weakness after lung transplantation.

Design: This was a retrospective chart review. Charts of 203 adult patients who underwent lung transplantation between 1996 and 2023 were reviewed in tertiary academic center. The primary outcome was the prevalence of focal and global weakness in lung transplant recipients on manual muscle testing. The secondary outcome was the identification of risk factors for weakness in lung transplant recipients.

Results:

On manual muscle testing of 203 patients, 67 patients (33%) had no weakness, 93 (46%) had global weakness, and 43 (21%) had focal weakness for an overall prevalence of weakness of 67%. Patients with focal weakness had longer post-transplant hospital stay (p< 0.001) and were more likely to require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) (p< 0.001) than patients in the global weakness and no weakness groups. Patients with focal or global weakness were more likely to have a history of cancer (p=0.018) and to have undergone double lung transplant (p=0.015) as compared to patients with no weakness. Patients with no weakness were more likely to have a smoking history (p=0.008) as compared to the focal and global weakness groups.

Conclusions:

Our study found that weakness after lung transplantation affects up to two-thirds of recipients. Several potential risk factors for post-transplant weakness were identified including prolonged hospital stay, ECMO, double lung transplant, and history of cancer. Further research is warranted to identify patients at risk for weakness, allowing for timely interventions aimed at optimizing functional recovery and long-term outcomes.