Lung Transplant FAQs
Reasons for a Lung Transplant
Several medical conditions can damage one or both lungs, preventing them from functioning normally. Often, medication or external breathing assistance are the first steps to rectify any lung issues, but in the case that other measures fail or the patient’s condition becomes life threatening, transplanting one or both lungs may become necessary. Common sources of lung damage include:1
- Diseases that irreversibly damage and obstruct the airway (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Scarring of the lungs (pulmonary fibrosis)
- Cystic Fibrosis
- High blood pressure specifically impacting the lungs
How Many?
In 2024, there were 253 lung transplants performed in Pennsylvania, 7.6% of the 3,340 lung transplants performed nationally that same year. Nationally, lung transplants only comprised 6.9% of all single organ transplants performed in 2024, making it the second least common transplant procedure after Pancreas transplants.2
UNOS doesn’t separate lung transplants by single or double transplants, but according to some estimates, double lung transplants are actually more common than single lung transplants by approximately three times.3
Survivability Rates
Average Time on Waiting List
The average wait time for a lung transplant is four months, approximately the same as a heart transplant and relatively quick compared to other transplant procedures.6
Average Cost
Single lung transplants are the second most expensive single organ transplant procedure behind heart transplants, averaging just over an estimated 1.8 million dollars billed per procedure in the US in 2025.7 However, double lung transplants have an average estimated cost of 2.3 million dollars billed per procedure.8 Since double transplants are the more common of the two, this means that the average lung transplant is actually more expensive than a heart transplant.
The cost of the individual procedure is not the whole picture, however. Prescription drug costs are also a major factor in overall financial burden. Transplant patients require lifelong immunosuppressant prescriptions in order to prevent their immune system from rejecting the donor organ. These medications can be costly depending on insurance coverage.
Travel costs are also a factor. There are only so many transplant centers in the United States, so prolonged travel is not uncommon for transplant patients receiving care, especially for rural patients, who already struggle with healthcare access. In Pennsylvania in 2024, 39% of transplant patients had to travel more than 150 nautical miles for their treatment. Nationally, that percentage increased to 46% for the same year.9
Risks
Aside from the usual risks of major surgeries, heart transplants incur several risk:
- Organ Rejection – The body has an adverse reaction to the donor organ
- Primary Graft Failure – The donor lung/s fails to function
- Medication side effects – Immunosuppressants needed to prevent organ rejection can cause kidney damage and increase the risk of infection and other medical issues
How Can I Help?
The biggest barriers to transplantation are cost and supply. You can help address these issues by:
- Mayoclinic ↩︎
- Data from the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network ↩︎
- 2025 U.S. organ and tissue transplants: Estimated costs and utilization, emerging issues, and solutions ↩︎
- Data from the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network ↩︎
- Mayoclinic ↩︎
- Gift of Life ↩︎
- 2025 U.S. organ and tissue transplants: Estimated costs and utilization, emerging issues, and solutions ↩︎
- 2025 U.S. organ and tissue transplants: Estimated costs and utilization, emerging issues, and solutions ↩︎
- Data from the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network ↩︎