Pulmonary thromboembolectomy of donor lungs prior to lung transplantation

Successful bilateral single-lung transplantation was performed after pulmonary thromboembolectomy of the donor lungs. The donor lungs were not thought to contain large amounts of pulmonary thromboemboli because they satisfied all the donor selection criteria. This case reinforces the need of not only meticulous inspection of the donor lungs prior to implantation but also the productive use of available donor organs.