Purpose of review: To describe recent advances in lung transplantation relevant to anesthesiologists.
Recent findings: There is recent literature describing medical, surgical, anesthetic and critical care of lung transplant recipients.
Summary: There have been substantial changes in preoperative selection and preparation of lung transplant recipients; these include donation after cardiac death, and improved lung-preservation solutions. Newer immunosuppression regimens have been successfully evaluated in clinical trials. Particular advances in anesthesia include endorsement of fluid restriction in thoracic surgery, greater use of transesophageal echocardiography, and postoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.