Call 404-778-7777
7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST (M-F)
Refer a Patient

- social information if applicable
To refer a patient for lung transplant evaluation, please call 1-855-366-7989, Mon–Fri 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
The following items are required for a lung transplant referral to be processed:
- Completed Referral Form
- A dictated progress note or History & Physical which summarizes the patient’s course and care, and includes a complete list of relevant past medical history
- Recent pulmonary function testing
- Radiologic films and reports (Chest X-ray, CT of the chest, bone density studies, etc.)
- Pathology and Operative reports, where applicable
- Cardiac catheterization reports, where applicable
- Patient’s smoking history and documentation of cessation, if applicable
- Notes from any other transplant centers that have seen the patient
- Notes from any consulting physicians that have seen the patient.
- Signed consent to obtain outside medical records
- Copy of front and back of the patient's insurance card
These items can be faxed to 404-727-1516. Faxed referral information will be reviewed by a transplant pulmonologist. If your patient has contraindications to transplantation, the transplant pulmonologist will contact you to discuss the patient’s case.
Referral Guidelines
- We will partner with you to ensure the best outcome for your patient
- Ideal candidates have a BMI >17 and <30
- Active participation in pulmonary rehabilitation is mandatory
Eligibility Criteria
- Age 16 to 65+ years (patients greater than age 65 are evaluated on a case-by-case basis)
- Functionally limited (NYHA class III or IV) but still ambulatory with rehabilitation potential – patients hospitalized in ICU with critical or unstable clinical condition may become candidates once discharged home and ambulatory
- Willingness to partner with the transplant team on all aspects of health
- End-stage lung diseases without adequate response to optimal treatment
- Predicted two-to three-year life expectancy of less than 50 percent
- Early referral is highly desirable, particularly in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Referral Process
All patients referred for lung transplant evaluation will be reviewed by a transplant pulmonologist. If your patient has contraindications to transplantation, the transplant pulmonologist will contact you to discuss the individual patient case. Our goal is to work with you on a collaborative basis to provide your patients with end-stage lung disease the best care available.
Disease-Specific Guidelines
Referral for lung transplantation is recommended by international guidelines if patients meet any of the following criteria (The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation 2015, 34:1-15).
COPD
- BODE index ≥ 6
- Deterioration despite optimal medical and surgical therapy
- History of hospitalization for exacerbation associated with acute hypercapnia (PCO2 exceeding 50 mm Hg)
- Pulmonary hypertension or Cor pulmonale or both, despite oxygen therapy
Pulmonary Fibrosis
- Histologic or radiographic evidence of UIP irrespective of vital capacity
- Histologic evidence of fibrotic NSIP
Cystic Fibrosis
- FEV1 below 30 percent predicted or a rapid decline in FEV1 – in particular in young female patients
- Exacerbation of pulmonary disease requiring ICU stay
- Increasing frequency of exacerbations requiring antibiotic therapy
- Refractory and/or recurrent pneumothorax
- Recurrent hemoptysis not controlled by embolization
Pulmonary Hypertension
- NYHA functional class III or IV, irrespective of ongoing therapy
- Rapidly progressive disease
Sarcoidosis, LAM, Eosinophilic Granuloma
- NYHA functional class III or IV
Relative Contradictions for Transplant
- Ventilator dependence
- Recent malignancy (other than nonmelanoma skin cancer) in the past two-to-five years
- Significant extrapulmonary vital organ dysfunction (irreversible hepatic, renal, cardiac dysfunction, bone marrow failure)
- Severe coronary disease not amenable to intervention; severe peripheral vascular disease
- Active infection with B. cenocepacia
- Substance addiction (e.g., alcohol, tobacco, narcotics) – active or within the last six months
- Severe psychiatric illness
- Inability to cooperate or comply with medical therapy
- Lack of adequate social support