Current status of lung transplantation--report of the St. Louis International Lung Transplant Registry.

There were 1,536 lung transplants reported to the St. Louis International Lung Transplant Registry as of September 1, 1992. The number of centers performing lung transplants increased each year. The 1- and 2-year actuarial survival statistics for all transplants were 68% and 60%, respectively. The most common indication for transplantation was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, followed by idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, emphysema secondary to alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, and cystic fibrosis. Among the total of 492 deaths reported (34%), sepsis was the leading cause of death.